After four years of financial and organisational restructuring, Nation Group (Thailand) is set to become debt-free following Wednesday’s sale of shares in Nation Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).
Nation Group sold 691,032,167 NBC shares at a price of 1.30 baht apiece, totalling 898.34 million baht, to two major shareholders of One to One Contacts – Boon-aue Chitthanom and Nattapong Sitaworarat.
With the NBC purchase, One to One and its allies plan to expand its Happy Home Shopping business to cover health products and enter the telemedicine business in the future.
The shares sold accounted for 61.4 per cent of Nation Group’s stake in NBC.
The sale was approved by Nation Group shareholders in April following a resolution by its executive board in March.
The NBC share price on the Stock Exchange of Thailand was 2.54 baht, down 0.04, at close of trade on Friday.
NBC Next Vision (NNV), which operates Nation TV and Nation Online, will remain with Nation Group after the NBC share sale.
Nation Group is focused on online businesses, which have generated increasingly significant revenue every month. Nation TV and Krungthep Turakij are two of its non-online businesses.
With gender equality and inclusion fast becoming a norm globally, three top companies in Thailand – Dtac, Sansiri and Unilever – have joined hands in setting up a three-year roadmap to improve gender equality standards in the country.
The roadmap aims to advance the “Live Equally… We are Equal, I Am Equal to You” campaign supported by UNDP for the third year running. This collaboration will set new standards in gender equality and diversity, both in organisations and in communities to build a society where gender equality becomes a norm in all dimensions.
Creating bridges in society
Srettha Thavisin, chief executive officer and president of Sansiri Public Company Limited, said his company is seriously committed to becoming a bridge that connects people with the same vision to promote equality from all dimensions of Thai society.
“The globe has started to focus on and value equality and diversity. So, we hope this cooperation will play a part in inspiring other sectors to open up and accept diversity in society and create equality in all dimensions, so much so that this will ultimately become a social norm,” Srettha said.
Sharad Mehrotra, chief executive officer of Total Access Communication Public Company Limited (Dtac), added that by partnering with Sansiri and Unilever, and with the support of the United Nations’ Development Programme (UNDP), Dtac’s ambition was now to inspire more organisations in Thailand to embrace diversity and inclusion as core business principles.
He said Dtac already has several programmes in place to promote equality and diversity. For instance, the strategy to ensure people with disabilities get better access to connected digital services and the Safe Internet system that protects youth from cyberbullying.
Nattinee Netraumpai, chief of Unilever Thailand’s corporate affairs, said the company prioritises identifying structural barriers that under-represented groups face and providing sustainable mitigation through policies, practices and measures.
“We are working to design equitable workplaces that support, empower, and recognise the fundamental dignity and worth of people from all identities, backgrounds and walks of life. Unilever commits to raising living standards across the value chain, creating opportunities through inclusivity and preparing the community for the future fit of work through supplier diversity programs. We believe that Equity is the outcome which ensures our success,” Nattinee said.
Renaud Meyer, resident representative of UNDP Thailand, lauded Sansiri, Dtac and Unilever Thailand’s commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion as well as their efforts to make these values and principles mainstream in companies and through them in Thai society.
“UNDP will continue supporting this key issue alongside the business sector in their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace including for LGBTI people, so no one is left behind in the achievement of the [UN] Sustainable Development Goals,” said Meyer.
3 phases of 3-year mission
The three-year mission in which Sansiri, Dtac and Unilever push for equality in every dimension of Thai society, comprises three phases.
The first phase includes activities on “Diversity and Inclusion”, organised by UNDP, namely “Roundtable Discussion on LGBTI Inclusion in Thai Business: The Economic Environment” and other knowledge-sharing and case studies that each organisation has started implementing to serve as a guideline for development. It also includes public forums and forums involving relevant government agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare and the Labour Ministry, to push, extend and create an ecosystem of equality.
The second phase is a medium-term goal where the three companies will apply knowledge to create definitive and common practices such as welfare for diversity. The companies must connect their supply chain to promote equality for business partners, contractors, partners, etc. They should also participate in seminars or share knowledge at public forums to create change for the business sector and society, as well as broaden the campaign on gender equality to other areas, such as children and youth, women, and people with disabilities, and the elderly.
The third and last phase is a long-term goal to collaborate on Diversity & Inclusion campaigns, including creating prototype campaigns that the three organizations will have initiated and developed together.
As a key foundation for digital development, 5G technologies will integrate advanced digital technologies such as edge computing, cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and big data, providing new methods, paths, and ideas for digital transformation of the economy and society.
The commercial development of 5G will also profoundly affect the global digitalization process. According to the Mobile Economy report of GSMA, 5G will contribute US$961billion global GDP in 2030. By the first quarter of 2022, more than 80 countries and regions have commercially launched 5G services, with 2 million base stations, and been serving 700 million subscribers.
2022 is also a year of accelerating 5G development and making breakthroughs in Asia-Pacific region. South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Maldives, and Bangladesh are deploying 5G in the whole country or top cities. Thailand 5G has reached 77% of population coverage by 2021 based on latest NBTC statics. At the beginning of 2022, 5G subscribers in Asia-Pacific reach 54 million. GSMA predicts that 5G subscriber penetration in Asia-Pacific will exceed 14% by 2025, and 40% in pioneer markets.
In addition, countries have actively explored 5G to enable digital transformation in thousands of industries, including smart healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, ports, and smart cities. All this indicates that the 5G industry in the Asia-Pacific region is developing in a blooming direction. At the same time, the region is facing severe challenges of 5G spectrum shortage. The prime golden frequency bands for 5G, including 3.5 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 700 MHz, are being used by other technologies, such as satellites, broadcasting and television. Therefore, accelerating the orderly provision of 5G spectrum is the key to building a sustainable regional ICT industry environment and harmonious ecosystem.
Spectrum provision is the key to 5G technology
ITU estimates that the DOU (Data Of Usage) will exceed 39 GB per user per month in 2025 and 250 GB in 2030. The current monthly MBB data traffic per capita in most of countries in Asia Pacific, especially in ASEAN, has already exceeded 20 GB, and even exceeded 30 GB in Cambodia and Laos. The huge data demand will come earlier than other regions in global.
5G is the preferred technology in the Asia-Pacific region to address this challenge, and spectrum is the key to this technology. According to GSMA and Coleago’s assessment and prediction of Asia-Pacific top cities, each country needs to reserve 2000 MHz mid-band (1–10 GHz) spectrum at average in the next 10 years to provide seamless, high-experience, and affordable 5G services.
Currently, the wireless mid-band spectrum that has been distributed to mobile operators is less than 1000 MHz in most countries, such as 360 MHz in Indonesia, 450 MHz in Thailand, 464 MHz in Cambodia, and 505 MHz in Sri Lanka. There is a big gap between the current supply and bandwidth demands of 2000 MHz. Therefore, the mid-band spectrum of 3.5, 2.6, 2.3, and 4.9 GHz need to be considered and provided orderly to meet the increasing data requirements in various countries. In addition, inter-industry coordination and frequency clearance and migration preparations need to be made in advance. On March 31, 2022, Bangladesh completed the auction of 190 MHz 5G spectrum on the 2.6 and 2.3 GHz frequency bands. It supports the refarming of continuous large bandwidth, reduces the unit price per MHz by 58% compared with that of 4G, and extends the deferred payment period from 5 years to 10 years. The series of incentive measures have created a favorable policy environment for the rapid development of 5G.
Besides the mid-band, 700 MHz low band is also an ideal 5G frequency band including in Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, etc. It can provide 4G plus 5G dual services simultaneously via one network with dynamic spectrum sharing technology. It is the key coverage band to bring universal mobile broadband services, and bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas.
Overall, the full release of 5G’s impact on the economy and society depends on the vigorous development of 5G technologies and applications. To achieve this goal, under the guidance of the government, telecom operators, suppliers, academies, content providers, and industries are gradually converged, communicating user requirements, and exploring unified, coordinated, high-performance, and energy efficient 5G products and service models. The next five years will still be a critical period for the development of the 5G industry in the Asia-Pacific region. The whole industry still need to work together to promote the implementation of various policies to build a sustainable and harmonious ecosystem in the region.
6 GHz is an inevitable choice for the 5G in the next 10 years.
3.5 GHz, 2.6 GHz, 2.3 GHz, and 4.9 GHz are the world’s preferred and mature 5G prime mid-bands. They provides total 800 MHz bandwidth for the initial stage of 5G development. On that basis, we need to find and reserve a next spectrum band for long-term service development in the next 5 to 10 years to meet the total requirement of 2000 MHz in mid-bands. At the 8th Asia-Pacific Spectrum Conference in April 2022, regulators from China, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Germany, Finland and other industry organizations such as GSMA reached that consensus.
6 GHz is the last and only choice that can reach the “2 GHz mid-band bandwidth in each country”. 6 GHz for IMT has won a wide consensus in the industry. ITU, GSMA, GTI, and 3GPP actively promote 6 GHz IMT research. Leading international operators, such as Vodafone Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, China Mobile, and Axiata, support 6 GHz for IMT as a global harmonized spectrum strategy.
In the Asia Pacific region, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Singapore are actively participating in the study and identification of 6GHz IMT under the ITU WRC-23 framework. We believe that 6GHz will become the key band for 5G and 5.5G (5G advanced) development in the Asia Pacific region. Huawei is willing to support the research and testing of 6GHz IMT as global standards by governments, operators, and industry organizations in the region. This will promote the entire industry to unify standards and boost ecosystems, lay out the future ahead of time, and move towards new digital and intelligent world.
By Mr. Zhengjun Zhang (Jun Zhang) Director of Huawei Asia-Pacific Public Relations Department Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
PT Max Card holders who refuel (oil or LPG) at any PT station nationwide can buy Mee Suk palm cooking oil for THB60 a bottle (1 litre), down from the original price of THB68.
The campaign runs until June 30 with no minimum refuel requirement.
PT Energy president and CEO Pitak Ratchakitprakarn pointed out on Wednesday that the price of bottled palm oil has been rising due to decreasing output and the crude palm oil price hike in global markets, which has affected food costs.
“So, as a leading energy service provider, PTG aims to help reduce the public’s financial burden by selling Mee Suk palm cooking oil at a special price of THB60 for a 1-litre bottle to PT Max Card holders who refuel at any PT station with no minimum requirement,” he explained.
“Each card holder can buy a maximum two bottles per day until June 30, or until supplies last,” Pitak said.
“PTG is committed to helping people during this palm oil price crisis, which corresponds with our vision of ‘enriching the quality of life, well-being and contentedness of the people we serve’,” he added.
The largest mixed-use project of the East aims to help thrust Thailand’s economy and tourism, spotlighting the local pride under the concept of ‘Charming Chanthaburi’
The first and most comprehensive mixed-use project in the province that meets city lifestyles with its semi-outdoor design offering over four rai of green area, a venue for all types of activities for everyone in the family, a pet friendly space and a perfect sports destination.
Pioneer building a new ‘Urbanized Landmark’ and co-creating with local people to highlight the charms of Chanthaburi in order to help boost the economy and tourism as well as enhancing Chanthaburi in all aspects.
Celebrate the grand opening with a spectacular show from ‘Yaya Urassaya’ singing a special version of ‘Kho Chan’, with music played by ‘Kasetsart University Wind Symphony’.
Packed with promotions and up to 50% discounts from Central Group’s brands and shops such as B2S, Powerbuy, Supersports, Baan & Beyond, Tops and more in addition to get a chance to win the big prize of a TOYOTA COROLLA HYBRID SMART.
Chanthaburi – Central Pattana plc, Thailand’s leading sustainable real estate developer and operator of Central shopping centers nationwide, celebrates the official opening of ‘Central Chanthaburi’ on May 26. This is the largest and most comprehensive mixed-use project in the eastern region, comprising a shopping center, a convention hall, a condominium and residential project and a hotel. The project utilizes a semi-outdoor design to maximize exposure to its green areas of four rai, where visitors will find a running track, bicycle parking area, exercise area, a social park, a family playground, a pet playground and cafés.
Central Chanthaburi is Central Pattana’s first provincial project designed as a sports destination, with a multi-purpose area of over 4,000 sq.m., located in a prime location in the heart of the city; the project is ready to support economic and tourism expansion. Central Pattana has co-created with local people to promote Chanthaburi’s highlights in all aspects, creating jobs and distributing income to the community as well as promoting the quality of life through green space, paying attention to the well-being of the people in addition to high standards of cleanliness and safety.
Ms. Wallaya Chirathivat, President & CEO of Central Pattana plc, said: “Central Pattana operates our business under the vision of ‘Imagining better futures for all’ as a role of ‘place maker’ who creates the places of the future to improve the quality of life, wherever our projects are situated. Central Chanthaburi is Central Pattana’s 37th shopping center in Thailand. This project is more than just a real estate project, it is the next step of city development as it will generate growth for the city in all aspects to support the economic expansion and tourism of Chanthaburi province as a fringe city of the EEC, with three key strategies as follows:
1) Pioneer the City: Pioneer opening up the city and co-creating with local people to help push Chanthaburi to shine at the national level and also pave the way to the international level. Central Chanthaburi, the largest mixed-use project in the eastern region is a new ‘Urbanized Landmark’ and the most advanced Center of Life that meets all lifestyles of Chanthaburi residents. The project design reflects the local essence and the identity of Chanthaburi. Central Chanthaburi is joining hands with local communities and people to promote the charm of Chanthaburi in all aspects to attract tourists and generate more income for the community in the campaign ‘Chan’s Heroes’, with six local heroes of local craftsmanship, tourism, food and lifestyles to create more tourism charm. With the aim of helping raise awareness of Chanthaburi, Central Pattana is piloting the ‘Chanthaburi Fruit Festival’ roadshow to promote popularity for the province – its delicious fruits and more – at cross-regional branches of five prime locations in Bangkok to help generate more income for farmers and SMEs in Chanthaburi.
2) The New Urbanized Landmark: A comprehensive Center of Life that enhances the lifestyles of Chanthaburi residents and helps build local wealth by highlighting local products, pushing forward tourism, and generating additional income for communities. Throughout the Central Chanthaburi area, stories of Chanthaburi are shared in different aspects including tourism, local arts and culture, provincial products and other items.
3) Charming Chanthaburi: Highlighting the charm of Chanthaburi in all aspects under the concept of ‘Charming Chanthaburi’: The Charm as a Center of Life, with the most comprehensive center of living that meets the needs of every activity for everyone in the family with a Kid’s Playground and Pet Zone. Central Chanthaburi prioritizes the well-being of Chanthaburi people with abundant green area and a sports destination. Discover the LASERPLEX cinema at Chanthaburi Cineplex, with the most cutting edge innovative audio-visual system. The Charm of Shopping – meet the modern urban lifestyle, with more than 150 popular brands including well-known brands that are opening their shops for the first time in Chanthaburi such as Uniqlo, Jaspal, Lyn, CC OO, CPS: Adidas, Skechers, Converse, Crocs, Havaianas and Beautrium; first restaurant branches such as Bonchon, AKA, Sizzler, Coco Ichibanya, Krispy Kreme. The Charm of Chanthaburi Province – highlights Chanthaburi’s Local Essence with design and decorations that are inspired by Chanthaburi’s Art & Culture, local identity and recommended products. The facade of Central Chanthaburi reflects the design of ‘Chanthaboon Mat’ and there are several highlighted check-in points that reflect local identity such as the ‘Ruan Chanthaboon’ seating area, which overlooks great views of the surrounding river and mountains, ‘Chan Viewpoint’ is inspired by a treehouse and below the viewpoint, you can find lovely cafés with great drinks; at the upper part of the viewpoint, you can see the Khlong Phakdi Rampai River in a wonderful 360˚ perspective, ‘Lan Chan-In’, a relaxing seating area decorated with provincial trees such as In Chan (Gold Apple) and fruits such calamansi, mangosteen and durian. ‘Charn Chan’ is a co-working space with a chic café and the cute Rabbit Art Features. In addition, there is a center that gathers together popular and recommended items from each district in Chanthaburi; the Ploy Chan Zone gathers together popular gemstone shops in one place, Chan Jao Market is where you can taste local dishes and great fruits with a transportation hub and a tourist hub ideal to drop by and shop for souvenirs. The charm of festivals – Central Chanthaburi will ensure that people in Chanthaburi will enjoy all festivals, starting with the grand opening celebration event on 26 May, and be prepared to enjoy more events and activities that meet all lifestyles covering food, fashion, sports, family, pets, music and art that will be held throughout the year.
Highlights at the Grand Opening event on May 26 and special promotions
Enjoy a special show entitled ‘Whisper of Charm’ that will bring happiness to Chanthaburi residents, with a combination of ballet and acrobatics inspired by the moon and a spectacular show of a special version of ‘Kho Chan’ played by ‘Kasetsart University Wind Symphony’ with ‘Yaya Urassaya’ singing. Other highlighted events include:
• ‘Charming Chanthaburi – Colorful Chanthaboon’ will gather together local wisdom-inspired products and community items such as popular goods from ten districts in Chanthaburi, Chanthaboon reed mats from the Ban Samet Ngam Community, a craft exhibition from KORKOK, rare old-recipe desserts from Nong Bua exotic desserts community, and enjoy a Chanthaboon coffee, cocoa and durian buffet at affordable prices from May 26 to June 8, 2022.
• ‘CHAN FRUITFUL MARKET’ will bring you Chanthaburi’s popular and delicious fruits with the highlight of happy hour: Monthong durian starts at 55 baht and other fruits start at 1 baht. Enjoy food and desserts made from Chanthaburi fruit in addition to the cool photo spots from May 26 to June 8, 2022.
• CHANTHABURI PRESTIGE COLLECTION – first time in Chanthaburi you can experience a motor expo with luxury cars and EV cars at Chanthaburi Hall from May 26 to June 5, 2022.
• CHANTHABURI ART HAPPENING – a cool art project at Chanthaboon Waterfront Community proudly presented by Central Chanthaburi. The art display reflects the charms of Chanthaburi in different aspects and offers a unique experience for both Chanthaburi residents and tourists to show the local essence that the people of Chanthaburi are proud of; with fantastic artwork being displayed in a chilled-out atmosphere at Chanthaboon Waterfront Community from today to June 20, 2022.
Deals and promotions for the opening celebration from May 26 to July 31, 2022 – enjoy up to 50% discounts from shops and brands under Central Group such as B2S, Powerbuy, Supersports, Baan & Beyond, Tops, Chanthaburi Cineplex and more. Get a chance to win a TOYOTA COROLLA HYBRID SMART worth 1,020,000 baht when spending over a specified amount. Spend certain amounts on shopping and get a Chanthaburi tote bag limited edition, movie tickets from Chanthaburi Cineplex, 0% interest installment payments, up to 25% cash back and additional discounts on participating credit cards (subject to the company’s terms and conditions – kindly check at the redemption point).
The People’s Network Protecting Public Interest on Thursday submitted a letter to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), strongly opposing the planned merger of two large telecom operators.
The group submitted an open letter, which was addressed to NBTC chairman Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck, opposing the amalgamation of True Corporation and Total Accession Communication (DTAC).
The letter said the merger, if approved by the NBTC, would cause grave damage to the consumers and to public interest.
The letter cited a figure of the NBTC Office to back its opposition. It said the NBTC reported that there are now 141 million mobile phone numbers and 132 million of them are provided by the three leading operators — Advanced Info Service (AIS), True and DTAC.
The letter said the three leading operators provide service to 93 per cent of mobile phone numbers in the market so they have influence in the market.
It said if the second and third largest operators in terms of subscribtion numbers — True and DTAC — are allowed to merge, it would create a duopoly in the telecom industry and the consumers would definitely be taken advantage. Service prices would definitely rise without giving choices to consumers.
The letter also cited a study by Chulalongkorn University to back its opposition. The letter said the study showed that if the number of key players in the telecom industry are reduced from three to two, each would command market share of at least 45 per cent and service prices would increase by 20 to 30 per cent in the long run.
The letter said Thai consumers had already suffered enough after the government agency in charge of supervising free trade had allowed the merger of a large retailer and wholeseller, allowing a large conglomerate to control the market from the start to the finish. It alleged that the monopoly of retailing and wholeselling by the conglomerate had caused consumer goods prices to rise, causing suffering to the people.
The letter said all sectors had earlier hoped that the new NBTC members would carry out their duties efficiently, without being influenced by any funds or conglomerates.
But, the letter said, reports pointed out that the new NBTC appeared to follow the footsteps of the caretaker NBTC that it succeeded by considering the merger on grounds that the NBTC has to observe the existing laws and regulations earlier enacted by the NBTC.
Earlier, the new NBTC held a focus group public hearing among those related to the telecom industry and business partners of telecom operators. Most participants voiced support for the merger.
The NBTC has yet to listen to the opinions of academics and consumer groups in two more focus group hearings.
The letter said the NBTC’s citing of restrictions of law and regulations had raised concerns among consumer groups that the watchdog would eventually approve the merger and repeat the mistake of allowing the merger of the retailer and a whole seller.
The network called on the NBTC to carry out its duty of adhering to the principle of free and fair trade without allowing itself to be influenced by large corporates.
The letter warned that if the NBTC approved the merger, it would be condemned as the one who had tainted the history of Thai telecom industry.
May 24 – Mr Jirayut Srupsrisopa (Topp), Founder & Group CEO of Bitkub Capital Group Holdings Co Ltd, a Thai blockchain unicorn startup, was invited to attend a visionary discussion on the topic “DeFi – Future of Decentralized Governance” with international experts including: Mr Rahul Singh – President of Financial Services and Digital Process Operations, HCL Technologies, Mr Akash Shah – Chief Growth Officer, BNY Mellon and Mr Hans-Paul Bürkner, Global Chair Emeritus, Boston Consulting Group.
Mr Srupsrisopa has been officially invited to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) – a well-known event on the global stage for its activities to suggest direction in economic, social and development policies at the international level through a network of leaders in politics, business and civil society.
The panel discussion were held at Dome F, Ice Village, Davos-Klosters. It is interesting to note that DeFi’s story has been brought up in serious international economic forums and has attracted the attention of attendees from various sectors. And there are interesting questions about DeFi such as DeFi Definition & Used Cases, DeFi Governance, and Role of Traditional Governance in DeFi.
“Participating in this event is another important step that has brought Thailand into global awareness of its leadership in digital assets and blockchain. Last year was the year that digital assets experienced exponential growth in Thailand. We have the largest number of crypto holders per capita in the world and ranked 3rd in the world for the number of DeFi users. Moreover, the Thai public and private sectors are working together to push the rules on digital assets to keep users safe and protect investors. and together to educate people to the best of their ability” Said Mr Srupsrisopa
And in particular, “Bitkub Capital Group” is a private organization from Thailand that operates on blockchain technology infrastructure, digital assets exchange, cryptocurrency & blockchain education, Investment in Blockchain-related Startups and Web 3.0, which is considered the infrastructure of the digital economy until the success and has been mentioned as the first fintech unicorn in Thailand.
EV Network Co., Ltd., a distributor of electric vehicle charging equipment for electric charging stations under the EV Network brand, held a press conference to sign a joint venture agreement with EV Power, a Hong Kong-based leading manufacturer and service provider of electric vehicle charging stations with more than 10 years of experience in electric power.
The joint venture aims to expand 600 charging stations throughout Thailand by 2023. They also announced the plan to enter the CLMV countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam with the hope to support the society making transition towards using clean energy.
Mr. Thananwaruth Limsongport, CEO of Srisomboon Group and EVP Network, said that EV Network was founded with the idea to help reduce consumers’ cost of living in an era when global crude oil price has risen sharply creating direct impact on manufacturers and consumers around the world. Creating electric vehicle industry and electric charging station is the approach that we believe it has a good prospect for rapid growth. Therefore, we have joined hands with Mr. Prem Butsri, the owner of an import and export company, Ms. Anuttra Promtaveesit, the owner of Centara Watergate Pavillion Hotel Bangkok and Shopping Center, to set up EV Network Co., Ltd. hoping to be part of changing society for the better. EV Network Co., Ltd. has entered joint venture with EV Power owned and managed by Chief Executive Officer Mr. Laurence Chan. EV Power is a major electric vehicle charging station producer and service provider which has its own platform. It is the top service provider of EV charging stations in China and Hong Kong with more than 7,000 charging stations and over 20,000 charging platforms, covering more than 30 cities across China.
“We aim to integrate diverse industry experience under our management with the expertise of EV Power’s technological development to drive the joint venture company — EVP Network towards steady growth and we are ready to be part of encouraging Thai automotive industry to turn into using clean energy in electric vehicles instead of fuel. This can help reduce the cost of living for automobile users and business operators directly. We target to expand 100 charging stations under the EV Network Station within this year and plan to expand 500 additional charging stations within next year. This enables us to provide electric charging stations at every 150 km, making it convenient for all Thai users of electric vehicles. We are confident that from the number of charging stations that we operate, we will have a market share of approximately 20% of the total number of service providers,” said Mr. Thananwarut.
One to One Contacts (OTO) has signed Thai national e-sport team Xerxia to Phygital Space Development, which it owns 49 per cent of through OTO subsidiary Inno Hub, to strengthen the company’s fleet of Thai e-sport teams.
OTO president and CEO Khanawut Wattanathirach said Phygital Space Development (PSD) is a leading games and e-sport platform developer that aims to promote e-sport teams with high potential in popular games such as Valorant, PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) and Free Fire.
“The Xerxia team is highly successful in Valorant and has received several awards, including the Community Champion title in the FPSThailand Tournament, the first place in the Valorant Champions Tour: Thailand Stage 1 Challengers, and subsequently second place in the Asia Pacific round of the Valorant Champions Tour in March,” he said.
“The team finished in 9th place in the Valorant Champions Tour: Master 1 in Iceland last month, which is the last round of global tournaments of the game.”
Valorant is a highly popular online team-based shooting game with player bases worldwide. In each match, two teams of five players are pitched against each other in various environments and use tactical techniques, skills and team efficiency to beat the opponents.
“PSD is also planning to promote e-sport teams of other multiplayer games such as PUBG and Free Fire, aiming to build professional teams in five games within the year and another seven games within 2023,” said Khanawut.
“Our target is to see our e-sport teams ranked in the global top 20 with a combined market value of more than US$200 million [THB6.84 billion] by 2025.”
Xerxia was established in October 2021 for the PUBG contest and has become well-known in Thailand’s e-sport circles thanks to top player like Rungrattanachai “HoN_BoYa” Sungsuk, who serves as the team’s coach.
The team switched to Valorant in January this year after scoring all players from the X10 Crit team that came fifth in global world rankings, as well as 17-year-old hotshot Thanachart “Surf” Rungapajaratkul.
A mere 15 days after switching to Valorant, Xerxia claimed the Community Champion title at the FPSThailand Tournament.
“As a leading tech company, OTO is committed to propelling the e-sport industry forward in both Thailand and at the global level. We believe we can expand our revenue base in e-sport to reach the same level of international e-sport clubs, which have a market value of between $200 million and $500 million,” said Khanawut.
“E-sport is a new S Curve industry that has strong growth potential and can generate sustainable returns on investment for shareholders in the long run,” he added.
GULF, represented by Ms. Yupapin Wangviwat (left), Chief Financial Officer, signed a Joint Venture Agreement with GUNKUL, led byMs. Naruechon Dhumrongpiyawut (right), Chief Operating Officer, Strategic Investment and Sustainable Energy Business, to establish a joint venture to study opportunities and operate renewable energy businesses in Thailand and overseas.
GULF announced the establishment of a joint venture company with GUNKUL to jointly drive the nation’s investment and development of renewable energy projects with the aim to reach a target of 1,000 MW within 5 years. The joint endeavor is in line with Thailand’s National Energy Plan to achieve carbon neutrality.
Ms. Yupapin Wangviwat, Chief Financial Officer, Gulf Energy Development Public Company Limited (GULF), stated “The Board of Directors’ has approved Gulf Renewable Energy Company Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GULF, to enterinto a Joint Venture Agreement with Gunkul Engineering Public Company Limited (GUNKUL) with the purpose to study opportunities and operate renewable energy businesses, namely, wind power projects in Thailand and overseas, solar power projects, and other types of renewable energy-related projects, including businesses related to energy innovation e.g. microgrid & smart meter in the future. Gulf Renewable Energy and GUNKUL are expected to equally hold 50% stakes in the aforementioned joint venture.”
This collaboration leverages the strengths of each partner, as GULF is well-established in the power business with a portfolio of green energy projects in domestic and overseas markets and has an extensive business network, while GUNKUL has expertise in integrated renewable energy business and construction. As a result, this partnership will support the joint venture’s capability to operate renewable energy businesses, which is aligned with the National Energy Plan to increase the proportion of electricity generation capacity from renewable energy to achieve the targets to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Moreover, this investment is also in line with GULF’s data center business operations and fulfills the demand for electricity generated from clean energy from large customers such as hyperscalers, with the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the global energy trend.
Ms. Naruechon Dhumrongpiyawut, Chief Operating Officer, Strategic Investment and Sustainable Energy Business, Gunkul Engineering Public Company Limited (GUNKUL), revealed “This Joint Venture Agreement marks a major step for GUNKUL in completing the energy landscape ranging from a residential scale up to the utility one. The aim of this collaboration is to bring success to the joint venture company as our representatives to capture potentials of future renewable energy space. The company intends to increase wind and solar energy production megawatt capacities both domestically and internationally. Thanks to GULF’s expertise in the utility – infrastructure businesses with an extensive business network, while GUNKUL is considerably a leader in the integrated renewable energy with expertise in engineering and construction, covering a wide range of utility constructions (transmission line and distribution of electricity from power plants to consumers). With united strength, we believe that synergy will be created between two companies, and therefore will drive an increase in GUNKUL’s combined production capacity to achieve the 2023 target that was announced earlier.”
“Besides opportunities to develop every possible space into usable power plants, which serves people’s electricity usage in a wide range of applications, the impact of this collaboration is not only limited to an environmental aspect but also social and economic aspects through carbon credit and REC scheme. Trading carbon credits as a result of the reduced greenhouse gas emissions from the growing renewable capacities should create promising revenue streams for both parties involved and lead to a positive transformation where we will ultimately see Green Energy Landscape for Thailand,” Ms. Naruechon concluded.
The letter said Thai consumers had already suffered enough after the government agency in charge of supervising free trade had allowed the merger of a large retailer and wholeseller, allowing a large conglomerate to control the market from the start to the finish. It alleged that the monopoly of retailing and wholeselling by the conglomerate had caused consumer goods prices to rise, causing suffering to the people.
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