CAT foresees main revenue from 3G wholesale
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CAT Telecom hopes the 3G wholesale-resale business will become its main revenue stream, senior executive vice president Sompol Chantaraprasert says.
The state agency has targeted revenue of more than Bt61 billion this year before rising to more than Bt76.5 in 2013 but dropping to about Bt70 billion in 2014. After that it targets slight growth again, to about Bt72 billion in 2015 and the same in 2016.
Estimated revenue last year was about Bt51.3 billion.
CAT businesses range from overseas call service to third-generation-cellular wholesale-resale and data network service. It owns the mobile-phone concessions of Digital Phone Co (DPC), TrueMove and Total Access Communication (DTAC). However, the concessions of DPC and TrueMove will end in September next year, and DTAC’s in 2018.
CAT and the other state telecommunications agency, TOT, will also begin to transfer all annual concession revenue from 2014 onwards to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, which will in turn deposit it in state coffers, as required by the 2010 Frequency Allocation Law.
CAT expects total concession revenue of about Bt26 billion this year before declining to about Bt24 billion in 2013, Bt14.9 billion in 2014, Bt14.2 billion in 2015, and Bt12.5 billion in 2016.
It has high hopes of making substantial revenue from wholesaling and retailing bandwidth of 3G-HSPA (high-speed packet access) service. It targets revenue from this business of Bt21.5 billion this year before rising to Bt36.25 billion in 2013, Bt37.35 billion in 2014, Bt38.4 billion in 2015 and more than Bt39 billion in 2016.
The state agency wholesales 3G bandwidth to Real Move, which provides the service under the TrueMove H brand. Real Move is a subsidiary of True Corp.
However, the deals on 3G service partnership between CAT and True Group are being probed by many state authorities over their legitimacy.
