TOT Public Company Limited

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TOT Public Company Limited
Native name
 Thai: ทีโอที
State-owned
Industry Telecommunications
Founded February 24, 1954 (1954-02-24)
Headquarters Bangkok, Thailand
Area served
 Thailand
Key people
 Col.Suchart Wongananchai (Chairman)
Products Mobile telephony,
Wireless broadband services
Revenue US$1.5 billion (2013)
US$124 million (2013)
Total assets US$5.6 billion (2013)
Website www.tot.co.th
File:Nok Air.jpg
A Nok Air Boeing 737-400 painted with the logo of the TOT Company.

TOT Public Company Limited (ทีโอที) is a Thai state-owned telecommunications company. Originally established in 1954 and corporatized in 2002, TOT used to be known as the Telephone Organization of Thailand and TOT Corporation Public Company Limited. TOT's main line of business is fixed line telephony, although it has several other businesses, including mobile telephony. Its current Chairman of the Board of Directors is Col.Suchart Wongananchai.

Early history

The first use of the telephone in Thailand began during the reign of King Rama V in 1881 with a telephone line constructed between the Bangkok, and Paknam, in Samut Prakan, a short distance south of Bangkok along the Chao Phraya River. Its purpose was informing Bangkok of the arrival and departure of ships at Paknam.[1]

The Telephone Organization of Thailand was founded by the Thai government in 24 February 1954. A state enterprise under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, it incorporated the Telephone Technician Unit under The Post and Telegraph Department. It originally had 732 staff members and a budget of 50 million baht. The TOT provided telephone services in Bangkok metropolis, which included Wat Lieb, Bangrak, Ploenchit and Samsaen Exchanges.[2]

TOT was transformed from a state-owned enterprise under the control of the Transport and Communication Ministry to a public company named TOT Corporation Public on 31 July 2002.

Corporate status change and the aftermath of the 2006 coup

Under the deposed government of Thaksin Shinawatra (2001–2006), the TOT was made into a corporation and plans were under way to privatise a portion of the state enterprise through an IPO in the Stock Exchange of Thailand. These plans were cancelled after the Thaksin-government was overthrown by a coup in 19 September 2006. Soon after the coup, the junta of General Surayud Chulanont announced plans to merge TOT with rival state telecom enterprise CAT Telecom (formerly the Communications Authority of Thailand).[3]

The junta also appointed junta Assistant Secretary-General General Saprang Kalayanamitr to become the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of TOT. General Saprang's first move as TOT Chairman was to hand-pick three Army colonels and controversial Thaksin-critic Vuthiphong Priebjrivat to sit on the state enterprise's Board of Directors.

The junta also cancelled the Thaksin government's telecom excise tax policy. The Thaksin government imposed an excise tax on privately offered fixed and cellular services, and then allowed telecom companies to deduct the amount they paid in excise tax from concession fees they had to pay to state concession owners TOT and CAT Telecom. The total amount paid by the private telecom firms did not change. The Surayud government's excise tax cancellation meant that TOT and CAT Telecom would receive their full concession payments. However, TOT and CAT were then forced to increase their dividends to the Ministry of Finance to account for their increased income.[4]

In December 2009, TOT became Thailand’s first 3G mobile phone service provider launching 3G mobile phone service (Phase 1) via the brand TOT3G, by enhancing 584 base stations in Bangkok and its vicinity to accommodate 500,000 numbers for the service and with a goal of nationwide coverage within the end of 2011.

TOT3G is also a host network operator who hosts Mobile virtual network operator (MVNOs).

Currently, TOT3G has four MVNOs on its network:[5]

  • i-mobile 3GX
  • 365 3G - All service migrated to TOT3G As of 10 October 2013[6]
  • IEC3G - Renamed to Tron IEC3G As of 25 March 2014[7]
  • mojo3G
  • i-kool Real 3G

In August 2014, TOT was ordered by the State Enterprise Policy Commission,[8] to submit a proposal that would wind down non-core businesses, allowing it to reduce costs. Known in Thailand as the “Superboard”, the Commission was established by Thailand’s National Council for Peace and Order and tasked with assessing the operations of state enterprises. TOT restructuring plan includes, splitting into six subsidiary operations that would then partner with private firms.

TOT plans to streamline its business into the following six key areas:

  • Telecoms infrastructure,
  • Towers,
  • Broadband,
  • Mobile wholesale,
  • ICT & Cloud, and;
  • International gateway/submarine cable.

TOT announced its intention to upgrade its business, through Public–private partnership (PPP) and commercial agreements with third party companies. Among the companies who have expressed their interest in a partnership with TOT are;

References

  1. ↑ Thai National Archives
  2. ↑ TOT, About TOT
  3. ↑ The Nation, Call for end to policy corruption, 16 October 2006
  4. ↑ The Nation, Telecom excise tax revoked, 24 January 2007
  5. ↑ "Thailand’s MVNO market 2014" Yozzo.com
  6. ↑ "TOT takes over the remaining customers from the MVNO 365-3G". Yozzo.com. Retrieved 2013-09-27
  7. ↑ "The MVNO IEC3G quietly resurrects as Tron IEC3G". Yozzo.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16
  8. ↑ The Nation, CAT, TOT given 3 months for due diligence of assets, 17 Maj 2015
  9. ↑ "MVNA/MVNE One Development keen on partnership with Thailand’s state telco TOT". MVNO Dynamics. Retrieved 2015-05-17
  10. ↑ "Loxley Pcl.". Retrieved 2015-05-17
  11. ↑ "Mobile LTE vies for partnership with TOT". The Nation. Retrieved 2015-05-17

External links

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