TOT synergy battles True
TOT Plc is capitalising on its business synergy to compete with True Corp Plc, with the launch of two aggressive bundled call-and-Internet packages.
This is the first time the company has harnessed its range of telecom services in an effort to expand its market share and catch up with True in the realm of convergent services. True has already taken advantage of its synergy. Its businesses include pay-television operator UBC True, cellular provider True Move and broadband-Internet provider True Internet. Customers of any TOT competitor who sign up for either of the company's two new packages will receive free installation of a fixed-line telephone number, which is worth Bt1,000. The first of the two bundled packages costs Bt350 a month for free long-distance calls to upcountry to most networks - to both fixed-line numbers and mobile phones - from 8pm to 8am, then Bt1.50 a minute at other times. However, subscribers make 100 free calls to the True and TT&T Plc networks, after which calls cost Bt3 each. Subscribers also make 100 free Internet connections using the 1222 number, after which the charge is Bt3 per connection. The minimum subscription period is six months. The second package costs Bt999 a month for free long-distance calls to upcountry to most networks - to both fixed-line numbers and mobile phones - from 8pm to 8am, then Bt1 per minute at other times. However, subscribers make 200 free calls to the True and TT&T networks, after which calls cost Bt2.50 each. They also make 100 free Internet connections using the 1222 number, after which the charge is Bt2.50 per connection. Subscribers will receive free broadband Internet for six months, after which the monthly charge will be Bt500. The minimum subscription period is 12 months. This week TOT announced it would focus on providing innovative services and broadband and network leasing to boost profits, following a continued fall in revenues from its fixed-line telephone services. TOT recorded first-half revenues of Bt38 billion, but made a net profit of only Bt4.5 billion, down from Bt5.8 billion for the same period last year. Full-year targets are Bt76 billion in revenues and an Bt8.5-billion net profit, up from last year's Bt72 billion and Bt6.5 billion, respectively.
Usanee Mongkolporn The Nation
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