INET focuses on SMEs and schools

Leading Thailand Internet solutions provider INET is planning to expand its business base to cover small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the country's education sector.

Senior executive vice president and chief operations officer Morragot Kulatumyotin said the company would adopt a customer-centric approach to providing solutions and Internet packages to support SMEs and solutions for schools.

"We will provide customised solutions to help SMEs to use information technology to develop a competitive advantage. We will also provide solutions for schools with high-quality service. These will be adapted to each school's requirements, and be subject to service level agreements," said Morragot, who is also president of the Thailand Internet Service Providers' Association.

Meanwhile, the company is providing IP-based applications to support organisations and businesses, including virtual private servers, security services, online recruitment and managed network services.

"We have an infrastructure which is able to provide high quality services around the country, so we make ourselves different from our competitors by offering total ISP solutions, with the infrastructure and applications to meet customer demands," she said.

Morragot said INET expected revenue growth of 10 to 15 per cent in 2009.

Its customers currently comprise 5 per cent individual Internet users and 95 per cent corporate, with more than 1,000 businesses and organisation receiving its services.

INET also has eight branch offices around the country to provide service cover to its customers. Seventy per cent of INET's customers are in the Bangkok area and the rest upcountry. Sixty per cent of its revenue comes from Internet service, 20 per cent from a metropolitan-area LAN service (MetroLAN) and 20 per cent from its information data centre.

"I believe Internet services help businesses to reduce their operational costs, which may help them to keep trading in a situation of economic slowdown," she said.

The Thailand Internet Service Providers' Association plans to collaborate with information technology-related government organisations this year to establish standards for certification of ISP engineers, Morragot said.

This will enhance the standard of engineers working in Internet-related businesses or industries.

Thailand's Internet market was worth around Bt15 billion in 2008. Fifty per cent of this came from home use and an equal percentage from the corporate market. The country's Internet market grows by an average of 10 to 12 per cent per year. In 2008 Thailand had about 15 million Internet users.