Tot eyes rise in broadband use

The state agency plans to roll out an additional 3 million ports for broadband-Internet across the country by 2010, to serve high demand. Of those, more than 1 million will be created in two years at a cost of Bt3 billion.

The state agency has spent more than Bt7 billion in recent years creating its broadband-Internet network.

Montchai said the company's broadband-Internet business had generated Bt4 billion annually, or Bt667 per subscriber per month.

At present, Thailand has more than 1 million broadband-Internet subscribers, of which more than 600,000 belong to True, which holds the TOT concession.

Besides the Bt3-billion project, TOT is rolling out 160,000 broadband-Internet ports and another 100,000 to serve demand in specific areas, Montchai said.

He said TOT had targeted revenue of Bt1 billion next year from the provision of information-technology solutions to corporate customers, up from an expected Bt200 million this year.