Hui Weng Cheong, Advanced Info Service's (AIS) deputy president for wireless communications, believes that every cloud of crisis has a silver lining, and it can be found if people think positively.

"When I face a crisis, I try to look at the positive side and how I can overcome the obstacles; I look for the silver lining, instead of thinking negatively," says Hui, who was sent from Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) to join Thailand's largest cellular operator late last year.

SingTel owns about 20 per cent of AIS, while Shin Corp holds 42.8 per cent. Singapore's state investment arm, Temasek Holdings, owns 56 per cent of SingTel, and a group of companies led by Temasek also owns more than 96 per cent of Shin Corp.

"I have to be optimistic, so that things will continue to move," the 51-year-old executive says.

Hui joined SingTel in June 1980 with an MBA from the University of Southern California, a background in systems development and experience in marketing. In 1995 he was sent to Thailand to assume the role of managing director of the now defunct Shinawatra Paging. It was a post he held until 1999.

"It's was during that time in Thailand that I started playing golf," he recalls, smiling.

In 1999, Hui became SingTel's vice president for consumer products, overseeing the development of new services for mobile, paging, Internet, broadband and telephone businesses.

He points out that AIS's strength is in its firm establishment and good corporate governance. In his time at AIS he has kept engaged with all his staff.

"It's all about teamwork," he says. "My philosophy is, you must not depend on an individual executive. My style is to encourage colleagues to make sure that we all see the same point; I tell them to openly discuss ideas. Once you reach a conclusion, you go in the same direction."

Hui also tries to ensure that teams work together on the basis of everyone's collective knowledge.

An important word for him is "continuity". He always strives to ensure that when staff members leave, the people who replace them can continue their jobs.

"You can't get inside somebody's head. When they go off, things go with them. To ensure

continuity, you must have good processes to allow others to fit into their shoes," he says.

While some cellular operators believe that Thailand's mobile-phone service market has reached a mature stage, Hui - as always, the optimist - believes there will be further growth.

AIS is focusing on the non-voice services that he often uses to access the Internet, he says.

The telecom world is rapidly evolving from fixed-line technology to multiple technologies. Lately, advanced wireless broadband technologies like 3G, High-Speed Packet Access and WiMax are gaining momentum. "And the earlier AIS can get a 3G licence, the better for the company," he says.

The National Telecommunications Commission has yet to finish drafting the 3G licensing regulations.

SingTel kicked off 3G services in Singapore in 2005 and its major draw card is that local video calls cost the same as local mobile voice calls - as little as 10 Singapore cents (Bt2.30) per minute.

"You don't have to think too hard about whether you want to make a voice or a video call, because the charge is the same. It depends on whether you want to see the other person's face or not. There's no price barrier to customers," Hui says.

SingTel is one of the success stories of Singapore's overseas business expansion policy. The company first forayed into overseas markets 1989. Currently, it has investments in more than 20 countries and a regional mobile base of more than 112 million customers.

"Singapore's government has been encouraging local private and state enterprises to expand overseas, especially to China and India, for the past 10 years. We compete both locally and internationally," he says.

Hui says Singapore, which has a population of 4.4 million, is known for its good governance, the transparency of doing business there, and the government's continued attempts to improve the way business is done by both state and private sectors.

The key to Singapore's competitiveness is its stable government and strong economy, plus its clear-cut business process. "When you do business in Singapore, you know immediately what the requirements are," he says. "There is no chance of living on your own interpretation."

Other key advantages are the country's strong telecom and transport facilities.

Hui quickly backs away when asked to comment about the Shin Corp takeover by the group led by Temasek Holdings last year, and the resulting boycott of AIS's service.

He obviously feels much more comfortable talking about his private life.

He says people in his generation, who grew up in the late 1970s, dreamt of becoming engineers - the hype of that time. So they focused on learning maths and numbers.

But his two kids - a 17-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son - are not so much focused on engineering as on a broader range of subjects being promoted by the government, including life sciences, biochemistry and the humanities.

While many Thais perceive Singapore as a highly competitive country, but a rigid society as well, Hui says that, in his opinion, the rigidity is a trade-off for the feeling of certainty there.

Some years ago, life might sometimes have been boring in Singapore, but now both public and private enterprises are trying to enliven society in the island-state by bringing many entertainment activities to town.

What kind of entertainment does Hui enjoy in Singapore? "Much of my time is spent on the kids, helping them with their school work and doing things together." Then he smiles, and adds: "Before the kids were born, I often went to watch midnight movies with my wife on Saturdays."

Sirivish Toomgum

The Nation