TOT-CAT merger to make new firm '3rd biggest service provider, surpassing Dtac'
TOT’s merger with CAT Telecom to become one entity called the National Telecom Public Company Limited, or NT Telecom, will be completed on January 7, while the mobile telephone and broadband Internet businesses of the two companies will also be combined into one brand, said Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta.
“We are planning to rebrand the businesses as either NT Mobile or NT Broadband, which will be officially launched on January 7 as well,” he said.
“TOT Mobile has more than 180,000 customers while CAT’s My has 2.5 million customers. When combined they will become a large telecom company. We expect this new company to compete with and eventually surpass the market’s third-biggest player, Total Access Communication [Dtac],” Buddhipongse said.
“The brand combination will not affect existing users. Whether you are using TOT or CAT sim cards, the system will automatically match the roaming services and let you continue using your mobile phone and mobile Internet with no interruptions,” he said.
“As for broadband service, TOT currently has 1.5 million users while CAT has about 300,000. We aim to bundle broadband packages with a mobile plan to attract new users,” Buddhipongse said.
“The combined assets of the two will be worth more than Bt300 billion, including over 25,000 telecom poles nationwide, nine international underwater cable systems, six mobile frequency bands, 4,000km of underground cables, 4 million core kilometres of optical fibre cables, 13 data centres and an international telephone system that is accessible from any number in the world,” he said.
“The DES will set policies for NT Telecom to undertake new projects with a focus on 5G and satellite technology,” he added. “You can expect to see some new services by NT Telecom around February-March next year.”
