New Market Research Report: Thailand Telecommunications Report Q4 2010

Sept. 18, 2010 - PRLog -- There have been some minor changes to all of BMI's forecasts for the Thai telecommunications market in this quarter's update. These arise from the inclusion of more accurate subscriber data covering the fixed-line, mobile telephony, internet and broadband markets, courtesy of the national regulatory authority, the National Telecommunications Commission. In most cases, the new data merely provide a more accurate measurement of the activities of incumbents TOT and CAT, plus some of their concessionaire partners in the fixed-line and broadband spaces.

It looks increasingly likely that the long-awaited auction of 3G and broadband wireless access (BWA) licences will now take place in September and late-Q410, respectively, and that bids may well come from players not already active in the Thai mobile market and, in some case, from entities that currently have no activities at all in Thailand. We therefore think that the prices bid for these licences may well end up higher than we - and, indeed, the existing mobile operators - were expecting. In the meantime, it is becoming increasingly clear that the country's sole 3G operator, the Thai Mobile unit of TOT, is close to filling its 500,000 line capacity less than nine months after launching. Added to reports of growing numbers of smartphone users at AIS, True Move and DTAC, it seems there is a groundswell of interest in 3G/mobile broadband services. But with mobile ARPU levels generally far from high and still falling, the question all parties must consider is how aggressively they should bid for the licences.

While the mobile sector continues to exhibit solid growth (albeit in the face of saturation), the broadband market is surging ahead. The NTC's data show that subscriber numbers grew by 24% y-o-y to reach 2.5mn by June 2010. Operators such as True Online and Triple T Broadband continue to entice customers with promotional offers and True is even upgrading the speeds of its broadband connections for free, hoping that customers will make use of its value-added services and, maybe, also take its fixedline telephony, pay-TV and mobile telephony services, too. True and Triple T are essentially limited in terms of expansion by the historical terms of their fixed-line concessions, which restrict them to serving metropolitan Bangkok and provincial Thailand, respectively. And, with demand for traditional telephone lines also on the wane, they are unlikely to invest heavily in expansion for long, which again limits their potential reach.

These issues underpin the small decrease in Thailand's score in our Business Environment Ratings this quarter. Falling ARPU, mobile market saturation, increased costs incurred by expansion into new markets: all of these weigh heavily on the potential returns on investment for operators in Thailand. The score might improve once the 3G auction is concluded but, for now, the outlook is less sunny than before. Thailand's Country Risk score has improved slightly, though, as the economic recovery continues apace and the country looks set to outperform its peers. However, the Country Risk score remains tempered by uncertainty in the political arena: a new push by Thailand's disaffected populace for a change in regime could yet prompt a harsh response from the military - another weight on our Country Risk analysis.

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
-  http://www.fastmr.com/prod/83404_thailand_telecommunicati...

Partial Table of Contents:

Executive Summary
SWOT Analysis
- Thailand Wireline (Fixed Line & Broadband) SWOT
- Thailand Mobile SWOT
- Thailand Political SWOT
- Thailand Economic SWOT
- Thailand Business Environment SWOT
Business Environment Ratings
- Asia
- Thailand
Industry Forecast Scenario
- Mobile
- Table: Telecoms Sector - Mobile - Historical Data & Forecasts
- ARPU
- Table: Telecoms Sector - ARPU - Historical Data & Forecasts
- Fixed Line
- Table: Telecoms Sector - Fixed Line - Historical Data & Forecasts
- Internet
- Table: Telecoms Sector - Internet - Historical Data & Forecasts
Market Data Analysis
- Mobile Market Overview
- Table: Thai Mobile Market June 2010
- Table: Thai Mobile Net Additions Market Q210
- Subscriber Divisions
- Table: Thailand Operator Subscriber Mix
- MOU & ARPU
- A Comparison of Minutes of Use By Operator ('000)
- 3G
- Mobile Contract Wins
- Table: Mobile Contract Wins
- Mobile Content
- Regional Outlook
- Table: Asia Mobile VAS Market By Service, 2009 (US$bn)
- Country Outlook
- Value-Added Services Timeline
- Table: Selected VAS Services (2008-2009)
- Mobile Operator Data
- Country: Thailand
- Table: AIS
- Table: DTAC
- Table: TRUE
- Hutchison Telecom
- Fixed Line
- Table: True Revenue From Fixed-Line Telephony (%)
- Payphones
- Table: Thailand's Payphone Market By Operator, 2008
- Internet
- IPTV
- WiMAX
- Wireline (Fixed-Line & Broadband) Developments
- Table: Wireline Developments, 2008-2009
Regulatory Environment & Industry Developments
- Table: Thailand's Regulatory Bodies And Their Responsibilities
- Licensing
- Table: Thailand Licences (February 2007)
- 3G And WiMAX Licences
- Regulatory Developments
Competitive Landscape
- Competitor Analysis
- Key Players
- Table: Key Players - Thai Telecoms Sector
- Table: Selected Operators' Financial Results (US$mn)
- Company Monitor
- Cisco Systems
- Table: Cisco Systems: Overall Financial Performance (US$bn)
- Table: Cisco Systems: Major Contracts Awarded In Asia (2010)
Operators Profiles
- TOT
- True Corporation
- Advanced Info Services (AIS)
- DTAC
-

Full Table of Contents is available at:
-- http://www.fastmr.com/catalog/product.aspx?productid=8340...

About Business Monitor International

Business Monitor International (BMI) offers a comprehensive range of products and services designed to help senior executives, analysts and researchers assess and better manage operating risks, and exploit business opportunities, across 175 markets.  BMI offers three main areas of expertise: Country Risk BMI's country risk and macroeconomic forecast portfolio includes weekly financial market reports, monthly regional Monitors, and in-depth quarterly Business Forecast Reports.  Industry Analysis BMI covers a total of 17 industry verticals through a portfolio of services, including in-depth quarterly Country Forecast Reports.  View more research from Business Monitor International at http://www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1010

About Fast Market Research

Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.

For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

# # #

Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.