The partnership between state enterprise National Telecom (NT) and Eutelsat OneWeb to provide a broadband internet service in Southeast Asia via a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite is expected to launch service on March 25.
The service is offered through NT's satellite gateway at its Sirindhorn satellite Earth station in Ubon Ratchathani province.
However, the service launch in Thailand is still being reviewed by the Council of State regarding the amended conditions of the partnership, said NT president Col Sanphachai Huvanandana.
The local broadband internet service launch also requires approval from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
Late last year the NBTC board approved the NT-Eutelsat OneWeb partnership to provide the international satellite broadband internet service under NT's landing rights. The approval did not cover the service offering in the local market.
Eutelsat OneWeb is part of the Eutelsat Group, a global leader in satellite communications, delivering connectivity and broadcast services worldwide. The group operates 35 geostationary satellites and 634 LEO satellites.
Earlier Col Sanphachai said Eutelsat OneWeb and NT have collectively invested more than US$25 million in local infrastructure to make Eutelsat OneWeb service possible in Thailand and the region.
NT expects revenue of at least 200 million baht per year from providing facilities under the partnership.
The targeted customers are enterprises in the region that want a satellite broadband network to provide services in remote areas. The network service fee is roughly 5,000 baht per month, he said.
The NT satellite portal gateway at its Sirindhorn station is expected to support more than 50,000 users in the region excluding Thailand in its first year of operation.
The gateway offers a maximum data transmission speed of 10 gigabits per second with coverage across Southeast Asia and East Asia.
The gateway can also be integrated with gateways in other regions to support seamless international communications.
An NBTC source who requested anonymity said NT's board of directors last year put a brake on the existing master service agreement between NT and Eutelsat OneWeb by tasking NT's legal subcommittee to scrutinise all conditions in terms of legality and issues that might affect NT's benefit in the long term.
The board also assigned its management to amend the partnership conditions and asked the Council of State to review the partnership in terms of doing business by foreign parties as well as national security.
Earlier NT's management said the service agreement is a normal commercial agreement and its accountability and power are the responsibility of top management, not a joint venture or special procurement.
In May 2024, the NBTC board unanimously resolved to award a gateway and landing right licence to NT to provide a foreign satellite broadband internet service in Thailand under NT's landing rights.