Triple T gets an extra add-on from In Cloud

Split from Triple T Broadband’s software development unit early last year, In Cloud now is a software company focusing on creating and developing value-added services for Triple T Broadband’s customers. 

In Cloud’s main services are Cloud Box and Cloud IPTV. 

Cloud IPTV is set as the flagship service designed to boost customers for Triple T Broadband’s 3BB service. It gives users a new experience when using 3BB Internet. 

Pattanapong Sonntronkam-jhonpanit, general manager of In Cloud, said yesterday that Cloud IPTV service allows 3BB users to watch live 100 TV channels on demand for free. Since the launch of the service in December, it has gained about 30,000 users. It aims for more than 100,000 users by year-end. 

“Now, this service is available on web-based services and in app format, only for Android. But this month it will be on the iOS platform too,” he said.

Users can watch live on-demand TV on their computers, tablets, smartphones and smart TVs. For smart TVs, the app is now available for LG and Panasonic models. The next step will be to offer premium on-demand content for pay. 

“We are talking with partners to launch premium content services. Now, we have WorkPoint, TCC TV and Zaa Network as content providers. In this model, we act as the broadcaster for our partner’s contents to 3BB users,” he said.

By year-end, the company aims to have at least 25 content partners. 

This service does not yet generate revenue for the company. It is designed to reduce the churn rate by giving added value to 3BB users and to attract new subscribers to 3BB services. But in the near future, it would become one of the main revenue sources for Cloud IPTV service. 

The churn rate for 3BB has been reduced from 7-8 per cent to less than 5 per cent now, thanks to value-added services and network improvement, said Harith Pichyangkura, Triple T Broadband’s vice president for marketing and customer relationship.

In Cloud’s revenue comes from offering value-added services for 3BB users and from being a broadcaster on the IPTV platform. And, advertising is set as the source of revenue in the future when it has reached a critical number of viewers. 

“Now, we have around 30,000 viewers. We aim to have over 100,000 viewers. Then, we will consider the advertising model. 

“Advertising on Cloud IPTV can be measured efficiently. It is like ad spending on digital platforms in that advertisers can track and measure the effect and result of the ad with more accuracy,” Pattanapong said.

The Cloud Box service allows 3BB users to use 40 gigabytes of virtual storage in the cloud free of charge. More than 100,000 customers are actively using this service. 

“This service is set to be free of charge for 3BB’s one million subscribers,” he said.

 

Extra space in the cloud

If they need more space, they can add 100GB for Bt99 per month. The company aims to launch two more services, one by year-end and the other by early next year. 

3BB service aims to have about 1.5 million subscribers by year-end, Harith said.

True Online has also tried to bundle value-added services for its customers by teaming up with True Vision. 

It offers “Triple Play”, a package aimed at attracting Internet subscribers to stick to its network by offering various and plentiful contents with an unlimited telephone service. The flagship package bundles True Online’s 12-megabit-per-second Internet connection with TrueVision’s 78 TV channels plus three HD channels for Bt699 per month.