The announcement for the ship, which the company says has “redefined cruising in Asia in terms of size and innovative amenities”, reaffirms Royal Caribbean’s confidence in Southeast Asia as a source market and cruise destination, as well as its commitment to grow its cruise offerings in the region.

Over her 34 sailings scheduled for the six months from November 2019 to April 2020, Quantum of the Seas is expected to add some 150,000 guests to the Southeast Asia cruising scene.

The ship will offer cruises ranging from four to seven nights to Penang, Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Phuket, Bangkok (Laem Chabang) and Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My). With this 18-deck high, 168,666 gross tonne ship that carries 4,905 guests at total capacity, Royal Caribbean will increase its capacity in the region by 30 per cent.

There will be 24 sailings to Thai ports-of-call including four-night cruises to Phuket, five-night cruises to Phuket, Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) and Penang; one seven-night cruise to Phuket for an overnight, Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) and Penang, and; one seven-night cruise to Bangkok for an overnight and Ho Chi Minh City. The ship is expected to bring around 105,000 guests to Thailand on these sailings.

Quantum of the Seas will also be revitalised prior to her return to Southeast Asia. The multimillion-dollar project will see “the ship refreshed and upgraded to provide the best of the next-generation cruise experience for guests” in this region, the company said.

The president and chief executive of Royal Caribbean International, Michael Bayley, said that the commitment to bring in bigger and better ships like Quantum of the Seas demonstrates Royal Caribbean’s confidence in the region to continue experiencing record-breaking growth. “In response to the strong demand from the region, we have decided to bring in longer cruises for Quantum of the Seas’ return,” Bayley said.

Entertainment offerings

“The season will feature cruises starting from four nights and the first ever seven-night round trip cruises on a Quantum Class ship here. With this ground-breaking itinerary design for the Asian cruise market, our guests will get the opportunity to enjoy a more comprehensive Quantum Class experience and take in more of what this amazing ship has to offer.

“Guests onboard the smart ship Quantum of the Seas will enjoy the North Star, an observation capsule that rises 92 metres over the ocean; Two70 – a hi-tech entertainment venue; cocktails served by robots at the Bionic Bar; skydiving and surfing experiences; and SeaPlex, the largest indoor activity space at sea – housing a basketball court, roller-skating, bumper cars and the like.”

The ship boasts 18 restaurants with cuisines from around the globe, including imaginative cuisine at Wonderland and Jamie’s Italian by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, he said.

Customers can book Quantum of the Seas’ cruises, which open for sale today, with Discover The World (Thailand) Co Ltd and Travel Elements Co Ltd, Royal Caribbean’s preferred sales representatives in Thailand.

Sunti Medhavikul, managing director of United Information Highway Company Limited (UIH), a digital infrastructure and solution provider member of Benchachinda Holding Group, said UIH is planning to become an international gateway between Asean nations by upgrading its existing backbone network to achieve Tbps capabaility.

UIH Terabit Networks, which can be scaled up to 8 Tbps, offer data connection between Thai borders nationwide and Asean countries. The company has laid down the third main fiber-optic line along 2,500-km railways to enhance network stability and serve the increasing of international bandwidth demand.

According to Telegeography Global Bandwidth Report, the usage of international bandwidth between 2016 to 2023 in Asia is predicted to grow 47 per cent annually with the total bandwidth usage at 1,128 Tbps.

In Thailand, the usage is expected to grow by 33 per cent each year, having the total bandwidth capacity at around 22.72 Tbps in 2023. Top-ranking category of used capacity, which showed the highest growth in Asia, are content providers including Google, Facebook and Microsoft; Educational and Research Institutions; and Internet Service Providers.

Sunti said UIH Terabit Networks have been developed based on cutting-edge Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology and Automatically Switched Optical Network (ASON) framework.

The technology enhances network traffic management by allocating the best route for rapid data transmission. UIH Terabit Networks offers high efficiency for domestic and international communications such as video conferencing, video streaming, ultra high definition (4K) data upload and download, Artificial Intelligence( AI), Big Data analysis and Internet of things (IOT).

Additionally, UIH has established seven different strategic locations across Thailand to enhance high performance of connectivity with Asean countries. First location is in Chiang Rai province (on the border between Myanmar and Laos) with the second location in Tak province (bordering Myanmar).

Third location is in Nong Khai Province (bordering Laos) and the fourth location is in Mukdahan province, a boundary between Laos and the route to Vietnam.

Next location is situated in Srakaeo province (bordering Cambodia and Vietnam). The last two locations are in Songkhla province which marks the boundary between Thailand and Malaysia. UIH has also set up two Point of Presences (PoP) in Singapore and Hong Kong to connect to all global providers.

“As a hub of international gateway in Asean, we are moving a step further to offer international connection with our cutting-edge Terabit Networks to respond to the increasing demand of bandwidth usage in this region,” Sunti said.

He added that the southern part of Thailand is also a potential area for UIH’s network implementation.

Hat Yai, the largest district in Songkla province for business and communication in the South, is set to become a major overseas communication hub of UIH’s network with two inter-border connecting points at Padang Besar and Janglon district on the Thai-Malaysia border.

The company has also partnered with telecommunication providers in Malaysia for connection to Singapore and other networks worldwide.

Rajiv Bawa, corporate affairs chief and business development officer at the listed company, said its subsidiary DTAC Trinet (DTN) “would like to draw the NBTC’s attention to our proposals as per our referenced letter to NBTC on April 9, 2018.

“We strongly believe that the proposed original draft auction rules for the 1800 MHz spectrum need substantial improvement if the NBTC is to conduct a successful auction and maximise the benefit for industry, consumers and the ambition of Thailand 4.0”.

In this regard, DTN has made four proposals, as follows:

1. Reserve price: “We maintain our view that the reserve price based on the winning price of the last 1800MHz auction is not a proper practice as it was driven by the bidder who was unable to pay for the licence. As such, the proposed reserve price is excessively high. If spectrum is sold at all at that price level, it will likely cause a financial problem for the winner to pay the auction price as it has already happened.

“The government should not set reserve prices at levels which are certain to leave spectrum unsold and unused. Prices need to fall to permit the industry to use more frequencies to the benefit of Thai subscribers and society as a whole. Recent mistakes by governments and regulators in India and Bangladesh need not be repeated in Thailand,” the letter stated.

2. Licence block size: “The proposed three licences of 2x15MHz are not practical taking into account the different demands for spectrum of the potential bidders. The fixed 2x15MHz block size will likely leave spectrum unsold in the auction.

“A 2x5MHz block size will offer more flexibility for the bidders to buy the spectrum at the amount best serving their real demands based on their specific spectrum inventory, business plan and financial status. The smaller block size will also incentivise new entrants as the barrier to entry will be less.

“As the latest wireless technologies are designed to apply for the spectrum of 2x5MHz for highest efficiency, most countries put forward the auction of 2x5MHz block size; recent examples of this approach include spectrum auctions in Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Australia, Germany and the US,” the letter reasoned.

3. N-1 rule: “DTN strongly disagrees with the proposed N-1 rule for the 1800MHz auction. It is widely known that Thailand needs to increase spectrum availability significantly in order to catch up with other countries. Contrary to this notion, the N-1 rule will increase scarcity of spectrum as the number of licences sold will be less than the number of bidders.

“Apart from the negative impact on the industry and the country, this is a new rule which has never been applied before in any auction and is considered unfair to the bidders,” it argued.

4. Payment terms: “Both Tru [TrueMove] and AIS [Advanced Info Service] have asked the NCPO [National Council for Peace and Order] for relief in payment terms two years after the 2015 auctions. This is clear evidence that the financial pressure on the operators is extremely high. The NBTC should relook at the payment terms in the upcoming auctions and make sure that the payment terms are established in a rational way,” the letter concluded.

Delta has already made significant progress in its plans to lead development in EV infrastructure and green solutions, and is collaborating with government institutions to set standards for EV charging stations in Thailand, president Hsieh Shen-yen said in a press release.

Delta produces EV power electronics for global top-tier car brands in major export markets, including the US and Europe.

In addition, it leverages innovation in green energy and the industrial Internet of Things to provide solutions for emerging markets and address global trends such as urbanisation, climate change, ageing populations and technological breakthroughs, he said.

Phool has been an active member of the ITCC for the past 15 years and last served as the vice president.

A veteran of the insurance industry in Bangkok, Phool is currently the COO at Chaz Insurance Brokers Ltd.

“I am honoured to serve as president of the ITCC and look forward to working alongside our committee to promote closer trade and business ties between India and Thailand,” said Phool.

At the same time, TRIS Rating assigns a “A+” rating to KTC’s proposed issue of up to Bt16 billion in senior unsecured debentures due within 10 years.

The ratings reflect an enhancement from KTC’s stand-alone rating, as a strategically important subsidiary of its parent bank, Krung Thai Bank Plc (KTB).

The upgrade reflects the enlarged cash flow from its power portfolio and the improvement in its financial profile, said TRIS Rating in a release on Monday.

At the same time, TRIS Rating affirmed EA’s partially guaranteed debenture at “A-” and fully guaranteed debentures at “AA”.

The debentures are guaranteed by Siam Commercial Bank PLC (SCB), which is rated “BBB+” (International scale) by S&P Global Ratings.

The rating reflects the company’s position as one of the leading private power producers in Thailand, its well-diversified portfolio of cogeneration power units under the Small Power Producer (SPP) scheme and reliable cashflows from long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and reputable clients.

The rating also reflects BGRIM’s proven record of operating gas-fired combined cycle co-generation units and its opportunities for further growth. These strengths are partially offset by a highly leveraged balance sheet while it pursues its growth strategy.