Tore Johnsen is chief executive of Total Access Communication PLC, Thailand’s second-largest telecom operator by subscribers, known as DTAC. Prior to joining DTAC in September 2008, Mr. Johnsen served as chief executive of Telenor Pakistan Pvt Ltd. and DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd in Malaysia. DTAC is 38%-owned by Norwegian telecom operator Telenor ASA.
via DTAC Has High Hopes for 3G in Thailand – WSJ.com.
Handset manufacturers and software providers are all champing at the bit in carving out market share for projected mobile apps sales to reach $17bn by 2012. The global appetite for mobile apps will explode over this decade, but what about mobile SEO?
Taking this to heart, Apple this month sued Taiwan’s HTC Corp, the maker of touchscreen smartphones using Google software, accusing it of twenty hardware and software patents infringements related to the iPhone.
As if to make matters worse for Mr Jobs, a recent article in TechCrunch confirmed his fears: “I've been using the Nexus One with TMobile since mid-December as my primary mobile phone. This is the best Android-powered phone to date. It's also the fastest and most elegant smartphone on the market today, solidly beating the iPhone in most ways. In this rapidly evolving market there is sure to be something better just around the corner. But if you are looking to buy a high-end smartphone right now, this is the phone for you.”
Licensing is seen as a key step in reforming the $4.7 billion sector because companies will pay licence fees instead of giving a portion of their revenue to state-owned firms for the right to operate networks they built themselves, as is the case now.
For Laurent Perche, responsible for Marketing Solution, Alcatel-Lucent (Thailand), 3G is indispensable to the image of Thailand.
“When a company wonders where it will locate its headquarters, telecommunications are a major factor. It’s like questioning the power supply! Today, broadband access is relatively limited. 3G, bringing more competition, would lower costs and better services. The kingdom wants the latest technology with a new airport, Skytrain. But if this continues, it will be the last country to have 3G. “
Both regulators and state and private telecom executives are dumbfounded by economic ministers’ decision on Wednesday to put brakes on the 3G auction process and TOT Plc’s 3G plan.
