ICT Expo opens with a rosy forecast
Onwarin Osathanond, Miss Thailand Universe 2006, demonstrates a mobile surveillance service on a 3G cell phone at the AIS booth.
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The Bangkok International ICT Expo 2006 fair officially kicked off yesterday with captains of the telecom and IT industry predicting rosier prospects during the second half of the year.
Unfazed by rising oil prices or political uncertainty, Chamnarn Maytaprechakul, executive vice president of marketing for Advanced Info Service Plc (AIS), said he expected the company's revenue in the third quarter would be better than the second, due to the abating price war. AIS has yet to announce its second quarter results. "We're now competing in a more constructive way instead of focusing on the price war," he said at the ICT fair. AIS, the country's largest mobile-phone service provider, has 17 million subscribers. AIS executive Suvit Arayavilaipong said that this year the company expected its non-voice service revenue to grow 30 per cent from Bt13 billion last year, due to the rising number of active users of "General Packet Radio Service" (GPRS) mobile phones. The GPRS system enables users to download data quickly to their phones. AIS highlights at the fair include demonstrations of its services, such as simultaneous video sharing between mobile phones using broadband wireless technology 3G. It also commercially kicked off a service that allows GPRS mobile phones to access radio channels within AIS nationwide coverage area. The ICT fair will be open to the public from August 4 to 6 at IMPACT Muang Thon Thani. The first two days are designed for matchmaking between Thai and international companies. The fair's host, the Information and Communications Technology Ministry, expects 400,000 visitors and Bt40 billion in deals during the fair. Supachai Chearavanont,True Corp Plc's chief executive, said that True Group's financial picture was expected to improve in the third quarter now that the price war is winding down. True's mobile phone unit, True Move, is expected to break even within the year. True Move is on track to meet its target of 6 million subscribers this year, compared to a little more than 5 million now. True spent around Bt16 million on its booth, which reflects the theme of broadcasting and telecom convergent services. The highlight is the broadcast of its UBC True television programmes on True Move mobile phones. The viewers need phones with either a wireless Internet access system or the GPRS system to download UBC True programmes. The service is being developed. In the first phase True Move subscribers can access the local contents of UBC True. Late they will be able to view international programmes. Handset maker Nokia is also optimistic about what it sees as rosy sales prospects in the second half of the year. It predicts handset sales of around 8.8 million in Thailand this year, a revision from its earlier forecast of 8.4 million, given the brand's own brisk sales in the first half of this year. "We're very bullish about the market growth," said Bob McDougall, Nokia Thailand's managing director. DTAC is highlighting its mobile ATM service, featuring a special SIM card which enables handset users to pay bills and transfer funds on their mobile phones. The service is expected to start late this year. The Royal Thai Army is showcasing its technology, including a portable solar-power generator. Weighing around 3.5kg, it can generate 270 watts of electricity per hour per day.
Telecom Reporters The Nation
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