THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Thaicom diversifies revenue with ship broadband service

Thaicom diversifies revenue with ship broadband service

SATELLITE operator Thaicom yesterday officially launched its Nava digital maritime service platform to provide broadband satellite services for ship operators.

The service targets between 70 and 100 ships this year, said Ekachai Phakdurong, Thaicom's senior vice president for media and retail business.
Currently, the Nava has around 20 ships using its service after a soft launch in the middle of last year. The ships include those from Thailand and Japan. Thaicom has deployed its Thaicom 8 and Thaicom 4 satellites to provide this Nava service.
Ekachai said the service has generated average revenue of US$2,000 a ship per month. It focuses on ships serving East Asian and Asean countries, where there are around 20,000 vessels in operations.
The Nava has three main services, including Nava Ship Manager, which offers asset and engine monitoring, fuel advice, and maintenance planning to improve operational efficiency and productivity.
The other two are Nava Connect, which provides high-speed Internet connectivity for vessel operation and crew and passengers to keep in connect with their families, and Nava Media, which provides access to online entertainment, social media, and training on board.
The service targets passenger ships, offshore ships, merchant ships and the fishing boats. Initially, the service provides a broadband connection speed of 4 megabits per second. A speed of 30 Mbps is expected to be introduced in the second half of this year.
The Nava launch is part of Thaicom’s 2018 business direction, focusing on developing new satellite services to seek new revenue streams.
Earlier, the company's chief executive officer Paiboon Panuwattanawong said that revenue from the new businesses is expected to account for 50 per cent of the company’s total revenue in the next five years.
Currently, the main satellite service business contributes around 80 per cent of revenue.
Paiboon yesterday said that Nava is Thaicom’s new flagship mobility service for broadband business. Thaicom is following its vision to transform the company into a leading digital platform operator and provider of digital services, the chief executive said.
“With our more than 26 years of experience and expertise in the satellite business, Thaicom is seeking new business opportunities and is able to contribute to the digital transformation in various industries,” Paiboon said.
“Especially at sea, satellite communications is the only way to connect crew and vessel. We launched Nava to address the limits of connectivity at sea.
“Our new Nava maritime service platform and the services that it enables will increase operational efficiency on board and connect crew and passengers to high-speed Internet anywhere and anytime. 
“We believe Thaicom Nava maritime service will help create a unique experience for our customers and will strengthen Thaicom as a leading satellite communications and digital platform provider.”

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