NBTC okays Thai satellite broadband service by NT

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has given the nod to National Telecom (NT) providing the country’s first local satellite broadband internet service using a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite.

- KOMSAN TORTERMVASANA

The state telecom started the local service this month under its partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO satellite operator, according to NT president Col Sanpachai Huvanandana.

NT targets US$10 million in revenue from the service by 2030, excluding NT’s infrastructure rental fee of 200 million baht per year that Eutelsat OneWeb pays to NT.

The approval follows an NBTC resolution in March of this year to allow NT to provide the broadband service via Eutelsat OneWeb LEO satellites for a regional market, excluding Thailand.

NT has provided the LEO broadband service through its gateway in Ubon Ratchathani province. Its Satellite Network Portal gateway there is expected to support more than 50,000 users in Southeast Asia in the first year of operation.

Eutelsat OneWeb and NT have collectively invested more than $25 million in the local infrastructure to make Eutelsat OneWeb services possible in Thailand and the region.