Take the Tour: Photo Album Above
SOFTWARE PARK opens on Saturday at 2.30pm with a small ceremony. The grand opening is to come, but already the benefits to the island's future IT and online development are evident.
Phuketwan toured the stylish building today in Wichit and found features that will impress people who worry about Phuket's online development, as well as the environment.
Already six firms with an interest in software development have homes in the 25 million baht ''wave'' that is easily spotted from Chao Fa Road West.
And the rest of the property is fully booked.
Much more is to come, with plans for a second large phase that will cost 1.2 billion baht . . . a fair sized kick along for the island's developing software industry.
It's the ''brainwave'' of Bangkok Hospital Phuket director Dr Kongkiat Kespechara and Peeyanut Hongsyok.
They see software development as a way Phuket can move economically beyond dependence on tourism and rubber plantations.
Set on 10 rai, Software Park park is owned and operated by a private firm called Blue Lagoon (Thailand), a subsidiary of Phuket property firm Anuphas Group. Its development began last year.
The three-storey facility is impressive, with three meeting rooms, a snack and coffee zone, outdoor eating (and thinking) by a lake . . . and small wind turbines generating some of the power.
The park's business-incubation centre offers facilities and services including business consultancy, marketing services and business matching for new enterprises.
Five ''incubatees'' have already moved to the centre and the park expects to double this number by the end of this year. The number of incubates is expected to rise to 30 next year.
The second phase will involve the construction of a new five-storey building providing 2500 square metres of rental space, a 43-unit serviced-apartment block and a 400-seat meeting hall.
''Some of these services are expected to be available by April new year, including the meeting hall and the rental space,'' Dr Kongkiat said.
In October this year, Software Park Phuket will be joined by Software Park Thailand in hosting the Regional Software Park Forum 2009.
About 400 guests from the Asia-Pacific and Oceania region are expected to attend.
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"The three-storey facility is impressive, with three meeting rooms, a snack and coffee zone, outdoor eating (and thinking) by a lake . . . and small wind turbines generating some of the power.
The park's business-incubation centre offers facilities and services including business consultancy, marketing services and business matching for new enterprises."
So, what does any of this have to do with software?
Editor: Don't software developers hang around all day, eating, meeting and thinking, dreaming up the next Google?
Posted by D on June 19, 2009 17:26