As reported back in late 2017, Bangkok has been attempting to move all its overhead communication cables underground. This morning, Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmueng posted on Facebook that the task will be completed within the next two years.

“As Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has cooperated with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), we are ready to move this project forward to make the city safer for the people and to tidy up the city,” said Aswin via Facebook.

“The process will start by the end of May after the King's coronation and will finish within two years,” he continued.

The plan is to clear telecommunication cables from 2,450 kilometers of Bangkok road. Cables will be placed in a 40cm wide trench 80 cm below the footpath before being covered up during a process that Aswin proposes will not affect traffic. Electrical wires, by comparison, must be placed four meters below the road.

While Bangkokians would usually greet such far-reaching civil cleanliness initiatives with skepticism, City Hall has been relatively active on telecom cables following a now-infamous Facebook post by Bill Gates. In 2016, the tech billionnaire used a photo of Thailand to highlight the danger of exposed live wires in developing countries. 

Shortly after, the Interior Ministry signed a memorendum of understanding promising to complete a long-delayed scheme to have the wires moved underground. In late 2017, Sukhumvit Road was among the first areas to see the plan put into action.

Can Bill Gates post more about Thailand's problems so more things get fixed, please?