True, AIS unveil local 3G apps

Real Move’s True App Center and six business partners launched digital books and magazines free for six months to TrueMove H users. AIS, meanwhile, joined sports-content provider Siam Sport Syndicated to launch AIS Sport Arena free for one year to AIS customers.

Real Move’s director of marketing, Supakit Vuntanadit, said the application market was huge and growing, on both the iOS and Android platforms. True has emphasised local application promotion since the launch of its True App Center three years ago. The centre has more than 300 Thai-language applications for multiple platforms, with a total of 6 million downloads so far, Supakit said.

Most recently, the company has teamed up with content providers such as Nation Multimedia Group, GM Group, Barefoot and Be Boy CG to launch digital books and magazines for smart phones and tablets. TrueMove H and True Move 3G customers qualify to receive such content free for six months.
True App Center’s chief executive for information convergence, Pichit Tanyodom, said the centre expected customers to download more than 100,000 digital books and magazine apps. Currently, True Move 3G has about 400,000 customers.

“Use of smartphones and tablets is growing rapidly, and with our 3G network ready, we believe users need many more applications,” said Pichit.True’s mobile Internet revenue is expected to double this year from last year to Bt2 billion. Mobile Internet revenue this year is nearly 40 per cent of total non-voice revenue, with the remainder of the non-voice revenue coming from SMS (short message service), ring-tones and content downloads. Non-voice revenue currently contributes around 18 per cent of total revenue, and is expected to reach 20 per cent of total revenue by the end of this year. Non-voice revenue this year is expected to increase by more than 30 per cent from Bt3 billion last year.

“In Bangkok, True Move 3G has 500 sites and True Move H 1,500 sites. Our network is ready to provide customers with applications and content,” said Supakit.I-Sport, a joint venture between Siam Sport Syndicated and Smart Multimedia, has launched AIS Sport Arena, which comprises three main services: the AIS Sport Arena application; the Sport e-book; and Sport Buffet, a real-time SMS soccer-score service. The first two will be offered free to existing AIS users for a year, while the soccer scores will cost Bt19 per month.

Pratthana Leelapanang, AIS vice president for value-added service, said the move was a part of AIS’s strategy to promote local mobile content and data services.
“Sport is the newest category of content and applications to be emphasised by AIS, since many Thais want sports content. Partnering with Siam Sport will help us provide this sport content,” said Pratthana.The AIS App Store, he said, offered more than 400,000 applications, but only 20 were developed locally. Total downloads so far stand at between 130,000 and 140,000. AIS Sport Arena is the most recent to be developed.

AIS also has a bookstore application that now offers more than 200 magazine titles and books that together have notched up more than 440,000 downloads in two months.
As of the second quarter of this year, Pratthana said, non-voice revenue was about 19 per cent of AIS’s revenue. Non-voice revenue this year is expected to grow 30 per cent. Non-voice revenue is generated by three services: mobile Internet (about 45 per cent of non-voice revenue); content downloads (30-35 per cent); and SMS.

“Mobile Internet this year is expected to grow 70 per cent from last year. We now have 1,184 3G sites in Bangkok and in 10 provinces,” Pratthana said.