Thailand - Key Statistics, Telecommunications Market and Regulatory Overview

Synopsis

This report provides an overview of the telecommunications market in Thailand, together with a selection of the most recent available key indicators for the sector. The country’s telecom industry has entered a strong growth phase. The mobile market has been a case in point; growing by substantial amounts annually, it had reached the 100% penetration milestone by mid-2009; although growth had slowed as the economy turned down in 2008/09, there had still been a solid 10% annual rate of expansion in the mobile market during first half of 2009. While the country was getting considerable benefit from a liberalised telecoms sector, there remained much work to be done on regulatory reform. It was broadly perceived that the government was no longer giving telecoms the priority it needed. Sorting out the ongoing role of the two government-owned telcos, for example, remained a major challenge. After many delays, the government had launched the National Telecommunications Commission in 2004. This at least set some reforms in train, but the industry is carefully watching and waiting for the overall direction of the reform process in Thailand.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
  
• 2. Key statistics
  
• 3. Telecommunications market
  
  • 3.1 Overview of Thailand’s telecom market
    
    • 3.1.1 Political turmoil and its impact on the telecom sector
      
  • 3.2 Analysis: Thailand and the Global Financial Crisis – June 2009
    
• 4. Regulatory environment
  
  • 4.1 Regulatory reform
    
    • 4.1.1 Background
      
    • 4.1.2 Telecommunications Act 2001
      
    • 4.1.3 Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MICT)
      
    • 4.1.4 National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)
      
    • 4.1.5 Concession conversion
      
    • 4.1.6 Taxation
      
    • 4.1.7 Privatisation
      
    • 4.1.8 Foreign ownership
      
    • 4.1.9 Interconnection charges
      
    • 4.1.10 National numbering scheme
      
    • 4.1.11 Internet gateways
      
    • 4.1.12 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
      
  • 4.2 Regulatory developments
    
    • 4.2.1 Third generation (3G) mobile licences
      
    • 4.2.2 WiMAX
      
    • 4.2.3 Registration of prepaid mobile services
      
    • 4.2.4 Power utilities
      
  • 4.3 Regulatory disputes
    
• 5. Related reports
  

• Table 1 – Country statistics – 2009
• Table 2 – Telephone network statistics – 2009
• Table 3 – Internet user statistics – 2009
• Table 4 – Broadband statistics – 2008
• Table 5 – Mobile statistics – 2009
• Table 6 – National telecommunications authorities

• Exhibit 1 – Sale of Shin Corp to Temasek
• Exhibit 2 – Thailand’s Foreign Ownership legislation for telecom sector