CAT Telecom Seeking Outside Investor for 3G Launch

The new President of Thai network operator, CAT Telecom, Jirayuth Roongsrithong says that he will prioritise taking over Hutchison's CDMA network in the central provinces and integrating it into a single national CDMA network.

He also told the Bangkok Post that he also seek a foreign strategic partner to run and deliver the network's planned 3G service.

CAT's own CDMA network covers 51 provinces in the country, while the Hutch network - itself a JV between CAT and Hutchison Telecom - covers the remaining 25 central provinces, along with the capital city.

The two networks would be integrated into a single CDMA network to create more value, said Mr Jirayuth

He did not however rule out the possibility of moving away from CDMA for its 3G network, noting the ability to reuse much of the network infrastructure. Flexibility in this regard may make it more appealing to foreign companies who might prefer to stick to WCDMA based investments.

"I am not saying that we have to stick to CDMA technology definitely. If we assess that other technology offers better value, we are ready to migrate," he said.

Figures from the Mobile World database show that the CAT Telecom/Hutch ended the first quarter of this year with around 1.4 million subscribers and a market share of just 2%.

On the web: Bangkok Post - Mobile World

Posted to the site on 30th June 2009