FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

True 'keen on joint venture with TOT but will need to study ideas first'

True 'keen on joint venture with TOT but will need to study ideas first'

TRUE CORP is interested to partner with TOT to create value for the country and seek regional and global expansion together, according to True's chief executive officer Suphachai Chearavanont.

His recent remark follows TOT’s approach to five private telecom operators, including True, over the past two weeks about becoming a partner in any of its six core businesses in an effort to “stay alive”.
Suphachai said, however, that True would have to study possible partnerships with TOT first.
“We will have to study first. I personally think partnership with TOT and CAT Telecom is what we want, so we can cooperate with each other to best create value to the country and compete with foreign players as well as seeking regional and global expansion together,” Suphachai said.
But he noted that if the model of the possible collaboration is not clear, it would be difficult to propose a detailed collaboration plan to TOT.
True has already teamed up with CAT to provide 3G-850MHz broadband cellular service.
A telecom industry source said that it was difficult for telecom operators to propose partnership plans to TOT as the state agency has opened up to propose any partnership |models – without giving specific details which they could use to develop promising partnership proposals.
The five local telecom operators approached by TOT for possible alliances were True, Advanced Info Service, (AIS), Total Access Communication (DTAC), Samart Corp and Loxley. This recent move was in line with the policy of its new board to seek strong strategic allies.
Last week, TOT’s acting president, Thanwa Laohasiriwong, disclosed that at least four foreign telecom operators – from Britain, Australia, South Korea and China – are keen to talk with TOT about possible strategic partnerships.
TOT has to seek help before running into financial difficulties. Both TOT and CAT began to pass their annual concession revenue, which has been their main revenue source, to state coffers last December as required by the Frequency Allocation Act.
TOT’s core businesses are telecom infrastructure, telecommunications towers, international gateway and submarine cables, mobile phone service, telephone and broadband Internet services, and IT services.

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