The company is in the process of examining the contract before closing the sale deal of THAI aircraft to the private US company, he said adding that it also depends on the acceptance of the buyer. “We are studying details of the contract, especially in the area of pre-operational maintenance activities, ” Sumeth said.

In regard to THAI’s plan for the purchase of 38 new aircraft, Sumeth said it had submitted the proposal to the Transport Ministry, pending consideration as a policy matter, before seeking approval from the Cabinet.

“I would affirm that the purchase of new aircraft is quite necessary as it will raise our competitiveness. I believe the new administration will approve the plan,” said Sumeth.

Thomas has been with Airbnb since 2016, and most recently, was head of public policy for Australia, New Zealand, India and Southeast Asia. In this role, he worked with policymakers to develop fair regulations that now cover more than 70 per cent of the Airbnb community in Australia.

He was also responsible for developing partnerships with government and non-government organisations, including Emergency Management Victoria, Maharashtra Tourism, the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management and United Voice, which covers people working in Australia’s cleaning industry.

“We know that Airbnb’s community-based model and authentic, sustainable travel delivers enormous benefits to local families, businesses and communities. With his proven track record, Brent will spearhead our work with governments to support and promote the opportunities our community generates,” Siew Kum Hong, Airbnb’s regional director for Asia Pacific, said.

The bank gives its employees to take a day off each year to participate in the programme and anticipates that 24,000 staff members will devote 200,000 hours of service to their communities by the end of 2019.

Senior executive vice president Dr Adit Laixuthai said the programme extended to both working hours and free time.

The project started in 2016 with an initial target of 20,000 hours of volunteer service. Entering its fourth year, the project targets 24,000 participating employees and 200,000 hours.

Staff members are encouraged to invite their family members, friends and colleagues to volunteer for social work in line with the “Green DNA” concept of sustainable development embedded in the staff’s collective conscience through every business process at KBank.

More than 30,000 employees of KBank, KBTG and K Companies are free to take a day off each year to share their knowledge via a volunteer activity of their choice, whether alone or as a group of at least 10.

KBank provides each group Bt5,000 to engage in environmental conservation and any other activities that will benefit society at large or the underprivileged.

KBank believes such activities let its employees spend more time in communities close to their offices, allowing them to better understand the needs and problems of local residents.

At the same time, they might help their communities find solutions or organise activities that bring about positive changes.

Employees update their activities via KBank Green DNA on Facebook, sharing their good deeds with the public, which will in turn motivate others to do good works for a sustainable and balanced economy, society and environment.

In the past three years, 41,000 staff members have performed more than 230,000 hours of volunteer activities under the programme.

The discussion will focus on biodiesel, he added.

He will recommend the minister arrange a meeting of all stakeholders, including retailers, refinery operators, palm-oil makers and farmers, to work out a sustainable management plan.

PTT has also prepared information about its role and operations for the minister, Chansin said.

Chansin had earlier said the retail price of NGV should float in accordance with market demand because price subsidies would not be sustainable.

The plant’s first block goes into commercial operation in 2024 and the second in 2025.

Ratch in May established Hin Kong Power Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary, to finance and develop the Hin Kong combined-cycle power plant with two blocks of 700MW installed capacity each.

Chief executive Kijja Sripatthangkura said the plant would help secure and stabilise power generation in the West and South.

The natural gas-fired plant will be constructed on the current site of the Tri Energy power plant, which will cease operations in 2020.

An environmental impact assessment and public consultations are underway.

Ratch adheres to the principle of sustainable development by focusing on collaboration with all relevant people and agencies, strictly complying with regulations and laws, and minimising and mitigating environmental impacts, Kijja said.

“Ratch strongly believes this power project will help strengthen the infrastructure system of the nation in response to the need for socio-economic development and a high quality of living for all Thais,” he said.

As part of the ongoing efforts, an acquisition of 700MHz through allocation in late June 2019 will provide an improvement opportunity in the near future to boost dtac’s network coverage nationwide as well as improve mobile internet experience in remote areas in addition to higher capacity for urban users.

At the end of second quarter this year, total subscriber base stood at 20.6 million with a reduction in subscriber loss of only 94k, best since the first quarter of 2016. The number of 2300MHz base stations reached 16.0k, an addition of 0.6k base stations during the quarter. In addition, 348 2100MHz base stations were added to fix coverage in existing areas.

Service revenues excluding IC for the second quarter this year increased 1.6 per cent quarter-on- quarter (QoQ), mainly driven by the removal of the unlimited prepaid acquisition package and the introduction of aggressive fixed-data volume packages at a slightly higher price, and continuous growth in postpaid. EBITDA for second quarter this year amounted to Bt6.6 billion, increasing 7.2 per cent QoQ from higher service revenues, slightly lower regulatory costs, and well controlled SG&A expenses. EBITDA margin excluding revenues from CAT lease agreements and TOT network rental in the denominator for the quarter was 36.9 per cent, an improvement of 2.2 percentage points from the previous quarter. CAPEX for the quarter was Bt2.3 billion, accounting for 15.3 per cent of service revenues.

Net profit for second quarter of this year amounted to Bt1.7 billion, increasing 20.3 per cent QoQ due to better EBITDA performance. Operating cash flow (EBITDA – CAPEX) for Q219 was positive at Bt4.2 billion. Net debt to EBITDA ratio increased to 1.8x due mainly to one-off CAT settlement and network CAPEX.

dtac’s immediate focuses are on turnaround pillars for growth comprising 1) consistent customer centric network experience, 2) winning back B2C customers, and 3) addressing B2B opportunities. dtac guided a low single-digit decline in service revenue excluding IC for the year with EBITDA in the range of Bt24 billion and Bt25 billion. Moreover, dtac plans to spend Bt13 billion and Bt15 billion of capital expenditure in 2019.

Alexandra Reich, dtac’s Chief Executive Officer, said “Our development in the second quarter of 2019 was in line with our turnaround pillars as communicated in the Capital Markets Day. dtac has been rebuilding trust and confidence in dtac network and started to see positive results in both network perception and network complaints in Q219. While the postpaid segment continued to grow with good momentum, the prepaid segment also started to show a better trend. We will continue our focus on building customer centric network and we will never stop improving.”

Dilip Pal, dtac’s Chief Financial Officer, said “We had strong financials with QoQ growth in service revenues excluding IC. Cost of services and SG&A expenses were also well under control, resulting in sequential EBITDA and net profit improvement. We also had strong operating cash flow development in this quarter with a solid financial position.”

Angkoon Srikanayanabuth, the company’s senior executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said the focus is on adjusting the mindsets of its personnel to help them become life partners of the insured and accompany them at every stage of their lives.

Thai Life Insurance has identified four levels of training based on agents’ skills, qualifications and performance. These are: Life Partner (LP), which delivers a life insurance agent license on completion of the (LP) course; Life Partner Prime (LPP) for executive agents who enrol in the Life Partner course; Financial Partner (FP) for executive agents and above who must be registered as Universal Life insurance sellers; and Financial Partner Prime for executive agent and above who have an IC license to sell Unit Linked products in addition to having a life insurance agent license.

Each group of agents will be trained based on the company’s standardized curricula for the above courses and must also complete other relevant training in marketing and after-sales service. The aim is to produce knowledgeable and well-rounded agents able to define and respond to customers’ needs.

“Our sale agents must be fully versed in life assurance, health insurance, savings, investment, tax and also have knowledge about health. They also need to have good technological skill to provide more convenient and faster sales and what we call a ‘spirit skill’, which encompasses service mindedness and spiritual car. This will make Thai Life Insurance’s agents stand out from those of other companies,” Angkoon added.

With this in mind, the company has introduced the “Yes Club” project for new agents and is holding annual strategic seminars to allow agents to better understand customers and add value to the insured.

Sawat Naruvorawong, senior executive vice president and chief life operation officer, revealed that in the period January to May 2019, the company earned first-year premiums of Bt5.98 billion, renewed premiums worth Bt24.62 billion, sold one-time premiums of Bt4.001 billion, bringing the total premiums to Bt34.60 billion, a 6-per-cent increase over the same period last year.

He noted that the life insurance business trend in the second half of 2019 would continue to be affected by the economic slowdown, both domestic and international, as well as impact of political instability. Domestic purchasing power was likely to decrease especially among farmers or those with a regular income. Notwithstanding, life insurance for the entire year was expected to grow by 5 per cent.

“In the second half of this year, the company aims to expand its customer base, in particular among High Net Worth individuals while also developing its Life Solutions programme and the recruitment of new agents.

In terms of operational goals. the company expects a first-year premium of Bt19 billion, up 15 per cent, with Bt13 billion coming through the agent channel at Bt6 billion through the non-agent channel,” Sawat said.

The new product is meticulously crafted in every detail using premium Arabica beans, the company said, adding that the blend is crafted differently to be a fine powder – ground ten times finer to create a layer of velvety golden coffee crema on top of every cup. Its smooth blend and black coffee aroma delivers an indulgent experience to discerning coffee lovers, who can “see the difference, smell the difference, and taste the difference”, the firm said.

Nescafe Gold brand ambassador Saharat “Kong” Sangkapreecha has “started a craft coffee phenomenon”, with premium coffee lovers enjoying Nescafe Gold Crema Smooth and Finest at the Craft Cafe by Nescafe Gold Crema at Central World. To support the launch of the new brew, Nescafe Gold has budgeted Bt100 million for an integrated marketing communications campaign.

Last year’s launch of Nescafe Gold Crema was a tremendous success, according to the company, transforming Thailand’s premium coffee market by introducing a fine coffee powder with a layer of crema in craft coffee style. It was developed in response to a trend among Thai consumers of drinking black coffee.

“As the leader in the premium coffee market, Nescafe Gold will continually introduce new products that respond to the needs of Thai coffee lovers,” said Thanatorn Punpanishgul, senior marketing manager, Nescafe Gold, Nestle (Thai) Ltd.

“With the new generation being more health conscious and the black coffee trend still gaining momentum, we decided to expand our premium pure soluble coffee portfolio by introducing Nescafe Gold Crema Smooth and Finest. It gives discerning coffee lovers an exceptional smooth black coffee experience, starting with the modern tall glass jar featuring the elegant touch of a rose-gold label that reflects the velvety feel. The black coffee cup symbol will attract the attention of coffee lovers looking for a smooth black coffee experience. We will support the launch with marketing activities throughout the year, and expect to strengthen Nescafe Gold’s position as the most-preferred premium coffee brand among Thai consumers,” he added.

Dr Nalinee Paiboon, managing director and president of the company, said the direct sale business is adapting towards strategies responsive to rising market demands, increasing business transactions, and expanding online marketing channels. She also reported a growth rate of 7 per cent in the first half of the year, thanks to the new introduction of Giffarine Hya Intensive Whitening Pre-serum in February 2019 together with three more items of the same series, namely, Giffarine Hya 3D Complex Lotion, 3D Complex Cream, and Giffarine Hya Booster Sleeping Mask.

“We have allocated a total of Bt100 million for this marketing campaign through such channels as online-offline media and out of home media. Giffarine marketing strategy for the second half of 2019 calls for training our business members focusing on their intensive network expansion. The goal is to enhance sale growth through the potential of Giffarine’s online sales and expansion of distribution channels. Furthermore, we expect to increase the number and types of sale channels, become more aggressive in online business, and receptive to the changing market demands of consumers. Giffarine is committed to strengthening its brand value, introducing new products into the marketplace, and expanding online communication channels through social media,” she said.

All these features will be put together at a faster speed and treated as a single fabric for cutting-edge networks as the number of AI devices, for example, is set to increase sharply in coming years.

According to Anuj Kapur, Cisco’s senior vice president for AI and machine learning, the advent of fifth-generation (5G) cellular network will lead to the use of more connected devices on a larger scale over cloud-based computing facilities.

Unlike the current 4G network, which has been mainly used by consumers and platforms such as Wechat, Uber, Grab and the likes, the upcoming 5G will see more enterprises tapping its potential.

For example, hospitals, corporate campuses, smart factories, smart cities, autonomous vehicles and public security systems are among potential users of 5G connectivity which is 10-100 times faster than 4G.

In Thailand, the National Broadcasting and Telecom Commission has urged telecom carriers to roll out 5G services quickly to upgrade the country’s crucial infrastructure, but private investors are not sure if there are enough use cases to generate revenues that can justify the big investment.

Kapur said during a recent Cisco Live conference that South Korea and Japan are leading the efforts to launch 5G networks commercially, with Japan planning to test its 5G use cases during the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

Rakuten of Japan, an online shopping platform, has also entered the telecom sector by launching its 5G mobile network which is expected to synergise with e-commerce and other platforms.

According to Kapur, finance and banking, retail, manufacturing, tele-medicine and healthcare should be among the first sectors to take advantage of 5G along with AI and machine-learning capabilities.

Data processing will be much faster and more accurate, but the cost will be cheaper. For example, a cancer doctor can more quickly and accurately diagnose patients and get better treatment options using the global database of comparable cases.

In the hospitality and retail sectors, businesses will also benefit from having better customer relations and loyalty programmes to boost sales and do predictive marketing campaigns.

Besides 5G, the upcoming Wi-Fi 6 technology will further enhance AI and machine-learning programmes leading to a wider use of programmable APIs (application programme interface).

Human workers, meanwhile, will shift to do more valuable tasks as networks become more intent-based to meet business needs.

In addition, networks can be further extended into oil refinery operations, warehouses or factories via IoT-connected devices and sensors to create smart factories and refineries.

In the oil and gas sector, pipeline corrosion, for example, can also be monitored by the smart network as part of a preventive maintenance and long-term saving programme.

Scott Harrell, Cisco’s senior vice president for enterprise network, said during the Cisco Live conference that a campus of the future, for example, will use Wi-Fi 6 indoor and 5G outdoor in a wireless-first network featuring AI and virtual reality (VR) capabilities.

A software-defined network will not be interrupted as problems can be solved predictively and automatically, while a wireless-enabled cloud with Wi-Fi sensors such as those in an oil refinery will facilitate predictive asset maintenance.

Speaking at the Cisco Live conference, Amy Chang. Cisco’s senior vice president, said cognitive collaboration using AI and machine-learning capabilities will change how people work on LinkedIn, Webex and other platforms while healthcare and other sectors will benefit from better patient and customer experience.

According to Cisco, software innovation has made running and securing networks easier using AI and machine-learning capabilities to cover an entire enterprise network from campus and wide-area networks to data centres and IoT edge.

This will reduce the burden on IT teams who could better focus on more creative tasks, leaving network management to these new capabilities for more visibility, greater insights and better guided actions.