PwC given CAT merger study
CAT Telecom has awarded a |consultancy contract to PricewaterhouseCoopers Thailand to study the planned merger of the state agency’s Internet gateway and submarine-cable networks and its Internet data centres with the same two businesses of TOT.
Earlier, TOT awarded a contract worth Bt26 million to PwC for a study on the planned merger of its broadband business with CAT’s.
CAT president Colonel Sanpachai Huvanandana said the new deal with PwC was worth Bt20 million. The consultant will have to finish the preliminary study by January.
TOT has taken charge of merging the two state agency’s broadband businesses, while CAT has taken charge of consolidating their Internet gateway and Internet data centres.
Their merged broadband business entity will be named the National Broadband Network Co (NBN), which will have an estimated asset value of Bt15 billion. The merged Internet gateway and submarine-cable networks will become Neutral Gateway Network Co (NGN), which will have an estimated asset value of Bt5 billion. Their combined Internet data centres will become IDC Co.
The merger is in line with an order by the State Enterprise Policy Commission that the two state agencies merge their three core businesses to boost competitiveness next year.
For TOT, the consultant |will have to finish the first-phase study on the broadband-business merger by the end of January. TOT recently reported to the Digital Economy and Society Ministry that its consultant would propose another option besides that recommended by the Superboard, as the policy commission is known.
