Newsfeed

True Corp targets 10-per-cent growth in its e-business service revenue this year, despite the economic downturn.

Papon Ratnanchaikanont, group executive director for small and medium-sized business, yesterday said True expected to see revenue growth from providing total e-business service solutions to corporates and SMEs.

True claims to have some 120,000 customers for its e-business service, generating revenue of Bt11 billion last year.

Among the services the company offers are cloud solutions, M2M (machine-to-machine) solutions, and security systems for its smart-office and business solutions.

There are a large number of SMEs in Thailand, and True aims to offer e-business solutions to this target market, Papon said.

“We will tailor all kinds of services to help them compete in the Asean Economic Community or at the global level. The solutions will help customers earn more revenue and reduce the cost of investment,” the executive director said.

The company will hold the “True Business Forum 2015” on May 21 under the theme “Connecting the world, connecting your business”, as part of its plan to boost customer numbers and revenue.

Digital TV era gives big boost to ad spending

Estimated advertising expenditure in the first four months of 2015 surged 25 per cent year on year to Bt44.89 billion, according to the latest data from Nielsen (Thailand).

The figures provided by the media research company were based on rate cards collected from media owners, comprising six analog terrestrial TV stations, 37 cable/satellite TV channels, 21 digital terrestrial TV stations, leading newspapers, 36 radio stations in Bangkok, 30 websites with first and inner pages, and out-of home media companies.

Ad spending via terrestrial-based digital TV appeared to be the highlight performer, after the new broadcasting service’s introduction in April last year.

For the first four months of 2014, Nielsen surveyed the top 10 digital-TV channels and found that advertising spending via that medium was about Bt256 million. In the same period this year, the company reported spending of Bt3.18 billion on 21 digital-TV channels, with 3HD, Channel 7HD and MCOT HD not covered by its research.

Far fewer than expected GPF members exercise Undo Act rights

About 24 per cent, or 290,000 of the Government Pension Fund’s (GPF) members, had exercised their pension rights under the so-called Undo Act as of early this month, according to the Comptroller-General’s Department.

Under the Undo Act – which allows a return to using the rights granted under the original civil-servant Government Pension Act of 1951 – older members of the GPF who were in public service before March 27, 1997, have been given a chance to quit the fund and return to using the rights granted under the 1951 Act.

Comptroller-general Manas Jamveha said fewer civil servants than expected had decided to exercise their rights, with earlier estimates suggesting that up to 75 per cent of the 1.2 million GPF members would do so.

“Until May 8, about 290,000 civil servants and pensioners had tendered their resignation, quitting the fund under the so-called Undo option. It is not now expected that we will see many more members applying the Undo option,” he said.

At the end of last year, the GPF had net assets of Bt710 billion, up 12.26 per cent from a year earlier.

The fund’s rate of return was 6.75 per cent at year-end.