AIS says it will invest up to 30 billion baht on infrastructure this year

This investment is part of the company’s operational plan for fiscal 2023, which begins next month.

AIS CEO Somchai Lertsutiwong said its goal is to strengthen its infrastructure so that any sector can person or company can use services to improve their quality of life or increasing business efficiency.

The company plans to surpass the digital economy and prepare for what it calls the “ecosystem economy”.

An ecosystem economy is a new level of digital experiences creating in collaboration with partners from the local to the global level, Somchai explained.

A stronger the digital ecosystem will give small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and grassroots economies more power and increase their contributions to the growth of Thailand’s digital economy, he added.

The up to 30 billion baht will be invested to upgrade 5G networks, home internet, and 5G platforms, Somchai said.

He also outlined a more comprehensive plan to connect and work with 1.8 million SMEs, expand its brand partners, and develop the skills of more digital tech workers.

The move investment follows AIS’s growth in profits, revenue and customer numbers last year, despite fierce competition.

AIS has the fastest 5G network speeds covering 87% of the country, while its broadband internet reaches 8.8 million Thai households, Somchai said.

However, due to the high level of uncertainty and the trend to slowing growth, AIS must find ways to improve its services so for users, he said, adding that low prices are no longer the may selling point.

Both personal and business customers expect the best experience while using its services, Somchai said.

AIS now views each market segment as a unified ecosystem. Networks must be interactive and engage with customers on a regular basis, he added.

"They [networks] should offer personalised services to customers, matching what they want while also being quick to deliver customers' desires in real time. Autonomous Network Monitoring technology continuously monitors customer usage in real time to automatically allocate network capacity. Customers are served with intelligent service from AIS, which detects problems and troubleshoot them," he said.

He added that AIS's ongoing investment, which is the biggest in the industry, makes it ready to build a complete ecosystem economy for inclusive growth.

He said that the company is also upgrading for the industrial sector with AIS Paragon, a next generation platform. It is a one-stop 5G platform that enables business to manage resources using cloud and edge computing. Its Green Data Centre is under construction and, once finished, will be the largest data centre in the nation, Somchai said.