Thailand to Reach 85 Percent 5G Coverage By Years End

True Moves digital carrier reports Thailand will end this year with 5G coverage to more than 85% of the country.

True Moves CEO Tanaphon Manavutiveth stated during a keynote presentation at Huawei’s 13th Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF) this week in Bangkok, Thailand, that Thai carriers will deploy 5G to roughly 10 million users by the end of 2022.

Manavutiveth stated that the rapid adoption of 5G coverage in Thailand is primarily driven by the early release of the 5G spectrum, rapid network rollout by local Telcos, and 5G device availability in the local market, as well as local government assistance.

He stated that 5G gadget shipments now account for 15% of total shipments, up from 5% last year.

True Moves already delivers substantial 5G coverage in all 77 provinces of the country, according to the administration. He went on to say that the Telco DTAC presently controls the spectrum in seven bands: 700 MHz, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1.8 GHz, 2.1 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 26 GHz.

According to the True Moves executive, Thailand has one of the highest 5G penetration rates in the ASEAN area, with 9.2%, trailing just Singapore, which has 13.9%.

True’s merger with Telco DTAC

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) approved True’s merger with Telco DTAC last week.

Despite the merger’s official approval, a Thai consumer group and the country’s opposition political party have initiated legal action against it, accusing the commission of corruption in the process.

The merger, which was first announced in 2021, will reduce Thai telecom to two big players: AIS, the present market leader, and the merged True/DTAC firm.

AIS presently addresses around 44% of Thailand’s mobile subscriber base as consumers. True Moves controls 34% of the market, while DTAC holds the remaining 21%.

True Moves is backed by Charoen Pokphand, Thailand’s largest private firm, as well as China Mobile. Telenor, Norway’s state-owned telecommunications company, owns nearly half of DTAC. The combined company will have 55% of the nation’s mobile subscribers.

Within hours of the NBTC’s announcement, the consumer advocacy group Thailand Consumers Council (TCC) said that it would petition the courts to halt the merger.

The TCC has stated that it will seek an administrative court injunction to prevent the merger. The news of the merger has also enraged the country’s opposition political group, the Move Forward Party.

5G Coverage is Developing Swiftly

Meanwhile, Huawei’s rotating chairman Ken Hu stated that 5G coverage is now developing swiftly, with major advances being made in network rollout, consumer services, and corporate applications.

However, he believes that all partners must collaborate to fully unleash the power of 5G networks and expand into services such as cloud and system integration.

He then recommended some practical instructions for capitalizing on this potential, such as expanding networks for better user experience, promoting 5.5G development, and improving service innovation to maximize the value of 5G.

According to James Chen, president of Huawei Carrier BG’s Global Sales Department, 5G is driving industry development in many ways; 5G consumers consume twice as much data as 4G users, with 10-times quicker speeds and the highest secure networks.

Meanwhile, representatives from prominent technology businesses in Oman, Argentina, England, South Korea, and Thailand took advantage of the opportunity to highlight 5G-use cases and the improvements that 5G will bring to their respective nations.

Despite the fact that their use cases are at various stages of development, they all believe that 5G is the true solution to a seamless digital transition. It is an infinite opportunity to investigate all possibilities.

Commercial 5G Coverage services

As of October 2022, more than 230 carriers worldwide had begun commercial 5G services, according to Huawei. Over three million 5G base stations have been deployed, with over 700 million users served.

Consumer services continue to account for the vast bulk of telecom provider revenue. The considerably improved experience provided by 5G is driving new shifts in consumer behavior, notably a sharp increase in high-definition video traffic, as it becomes more common.

New mobile applications that take advantage of 5G’s higher speeds and reduced latency have more than quadrupled average user data consumption and increased average revenue per user by 20-40%, adding to a consistent increase in carrier income from connection.

Simultaneously, business-to-business 5G applications are emerging as a new income generator for carriers, delivering significant value in areas such as oil and gas, manufacturing, and transportation.

Mobile network providers, vertical industry leaders, and ecosystem partners from around the world have gathered for this annual summit to discuss how to commercialize 5G as well as other hot subjects such as green development, intelligence, and 5G evolution.