Thailand’s rapid ascent as a 5G leader in Southeast Asia has, in part, been powered by Huawei. While many Western nations excluded Huawei from their 5G rollout over security concerns, Thailand—like several regional neighbours—embraced the technology giant to enable its digital transformation. Yet this decision hinders Thailand’s ‘bamboo strategy’—maintaining the strength and flexibility to adapt to shifting international dynamics—and carries significant long-term security implications.
Huawei’s cost-effective solutions and deployment speed made it the preferred choice for major telecommunications operators AIS and True Corp, especially as they rolled out 5G to 158 hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic, boosting connectivity for healthcare and digital business. Huawei cemented its dominant position by aligning its offerings with government priorities and expanding local capacity.
But this dominance risks vendor lock-in, stifling competition and innovation, making it harder for local or alternative providers to gain a foothold. This also reduces Thailand’s ability to negotiate better deals or diversify suppliers in the future. Over time, such dependency could undermine Thailand’s digital sovereignty and bargaining power, particularly as the technology and geopolitical landscapes shift.
Huawei has also embedded itself in Thailand’s digital infrastructure, operating three data centres, integrating with government cloud services and partnering in projects such as the Laem Chabang 5G Port and national rail systems. While these partnerships drive efficiency, they also create dependencies. As geopolitical tensions rise, Thailand could find itself exposed to vulnerabilities, especially if foreign technology becomes the target of sanctions or cyber operations.
Huawei’s reach extends to national projects, including fibre broadband infrastructure, smart hospitals, factories and e-government services. Through partnerships with the Office of the Eastern Economic Corridor and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, these initiatives support Thailand’s ambition to become ASEAN’s digital hub. Simultaneously, it increases the risks of systemic disruption if bilateral relations deteriorate or technology supply chains are compromised. The growing complexity of digital supply chains, and the risk of shutdown or system compromise—whether from US or Chinese technology—cannot be ignored.
Huawei has reinforced its influence within Thailand’s digital governance through capacity building. It has trained around 96,000 government officials, tech professionals and students. These efforts have earned it high-level recognition, including awards from the prime minister and the royal family. While increasing Thailand’s workforce readiness, Huawei has entrenched its soft power, making future diversification or regulatory oversight more difficult.
Given its developmental imperatives, Thailand prioritises benefits such as cost-effectiveness, coverage and deployment speed over geopolitical concerns. Huawei’s competitive pricing and its unmatched investments strongly influence the vendor choices of Thai telecommunications operators. Although some operators are trying to diversify their vendors, affordability and speed favour Huawei.
Prioritising cost and speed over long-term resilience may deliver short-term gains but erodes Thailand’s ability to negotiate or pivot as circumstances change. Currently, Thailand can still negotiate better terms and build in safeguards for the future.
The government acknowledges the risks of monopolisation, with former minister Pichet Durongkaveroj stating that working with Huawei doesn’t mean neglecting security, citing efforts to strengthen cybersecurity due diligence. Huawei’s track record in the region remains relatively clean compared to competitors such as Ericsson, which faced corruption scandals in Vietnam, Indonesia and China. But the absence of major security incidents so far does not guarantee future safety.
Veteran diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow noted that Huawei’s success in Thailand stems from the need for rapid 5G development and economic pragmatism. However, the dominance of Chinese supply chains should not preclude Thailand from seeking better deals or building safeguards to protect its digital future.
Some industry practitioners estimate that Huawei now dominates around 70 percent of the market. This dominance limits future upgrade options, including the transition to 6G. Crucially, the foundation laid by 5G does not have to dictate 6G choices. Open standards such as Open RAN could allow Thailand to keep its options open and avoid repeating current dependencies—a point that should be emphasised as the country plans its telecommunications future.
Such risks extend beyond wireless networks to other critical infrastructure, including subsea cables, where interoperability becomes a major issue if Southeast Asian countries want to connect seamlessly with Western partners. Southeast Asia faces difficult choices due to bifurcation of the market, as well as US efforts to dissuade partners from engaging China in undersea cable projects. If Thailand doesn’t diversify its vendor base, this growing divide could leave the country isolated from certain global networks.
The challenge for Thailand will be balancing rapid 5G and 6G deployment with long-term security. This requires regional strategies, robust financing and partnerships that align with Thailand’s goals, while mitigating the risks of overdependence. Understandably, this is complicated by the lack of viable alternatives to Huawei and the absence of unified strategies comparable to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The push for competition and diversification is not just about security; it’s about ensuring Thailand can negotiate, innovate and adapt. Until such measures are in place, Huawei is likely to remain Thailand’s prime partner, at a growing cost to its strategic autonomy and future bargaining power.