CAT Telecom
Encyclopedia
CAT Telecom Public Company Limited is the state-owned company that runs Thailand
’s international telecommunications infrastructure, including its international gateways, satellite
, and submarine cable
networks connections. As of February 2008, it had 5,562 employees.
on international telephony
and CDMA mobile telephony. CAT is partnered with TOT
to provide the GSM mobile service "ThaiMobile". In partnershup with Hutchison
, it provides a CDMA2000
1X mobile service in 25 central provinces, and operates its own CDMA2000 1xEV-DO in a further 51 provinces. CAT also provides data communications and applications services, such as Leased Line, Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTx), Gigabit Ethernet
, xDSL, Live TV Broadcast, e-Commerce, e-Auction, and e-Security.
Over half of CAT's revenue comes from its mobile concession contracts, Total Access Communication (TAC, dtac Brand), True Move (TM), and Digital Phone Company (DPC, GSM1800 Brand).
, CAT Telecom was originally known as the Communications Authority of Thailand. Plans were under way to privatize a portion of the state enterprise through an IPO in the Stock Exchange of Thailand
but these plans were cancelled after the Thaksin government was overthrown by a coup in 19 September 2006. Soon after the coup, the junta of General Surayud Chulanont
announced plans to merge CAT Telecom with rival state telecom enterprise TOT
(formerly the Telephone Organization of Thailand).
The junta also appointed General Saprang Kalayanamitr
as the new chairman of the board of directors for both CAT Telecom and TOT. Saprang was accused by the founders of People's Television
(PTV), a new satellite television station, of being behind CAT Telecom's refusal to grant an internet link from Bangkok to a satellite up-link station in Hong Kong
. PTV was established by several ex-executives of the Thai Rak Thai
party. CAT Telecom, however, claimed that it never received PTV's application for internet access.
The junta also cancelled the Thaksin government's telecom excise tax policy. The Thaksin government imposed an excise tax on private fixed and cellular services, and then allowed telecom companies to deduct the amount they paid in excise tax from concession
fees to TOT and CAT Telecom. The total amount paid by the private telecom firms did not change. The Surayud government's excise tax cancellation meant that TOT and CAT Telecom would receive their full concession payments. However, TOT and CAT were then forced to increase their dividends to the Ministry of Finance to account for their increased income.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
’s international telecommunications infrastructure, including its international gateways, satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
, and submarine cable
Submarine communications cable
A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean....
networks connections. As of February 2008, it had 5,562 employees.
Services
Until recently, CAT had a monopolyMonopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
on international telephony
Telephony
In telecommunications, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
and CDMA mobile telephony. CAT is partnered with TOT
TOT (Thailand)
TOT Public Company Limited is a Thai state-owned telecommunications company. Originally established in 1954 and corporatized in 2002, TOT used to be known as the Telephone Organization of Thailand and TOT Corporation Public Company Limited. TOT's main line of business is fixed line telephony,...
to provide the GSM mobile service "ThaiMobile". In partnershup with Hutchison
Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited
Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited is a leading global provider of telecommunications services. The Group currently offers mobile and fixed-line telecommunication services in Hong Kong and Israel, and operates mobile telecommunications services in Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and...
, it provides a CDMA2000
CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is a family of 3G mobile technology standards, which use CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones and cell sites. The set of standards includes: CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. A, and CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. B...
1X mobile service in 25 central provinces, and operates its own CDMA2000 1xEV-DO in a further 51 provinces. CAT also provides data communications and applications services, such as Leased Line, Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTx), Gigabit Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
, xDSL, Live TV Broadcast, e-Commerce, e-Auction, and e-Security.
Over half of CAT's revenue comes from its mobile concession contracts, Total Access Communication (TAC, dtac Brand), True Move (TM), and Digital Phone Company (DPC, GSM1800 Brand).
History
Established on August 14, 2003, by the government of Thaksin ShinawatraThaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
, CAT Telecom was originally known as the Communications Authority of Thailand. Plans were under way to privatize a portion of the state enterprise through an IPO in the Stock Exchange of Thailand
Stock Exchange of Thailand
The Stock Exchange of Thailand is the national stock exchange of Thailand. It is located in Bangkok. As of 31 December 2007, the Stock Exchange of Thailand had 541 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of $280 billion. The indices of the stock exchange are SET Index, SET50 Index...
but these plans were cancelled after the Thaksin government was overthrown by a coup in 19 September 2006. Soon after the coup, the junta of General Surayud Chulanont
Surayud Chulanont
General Surayud Chulanont is a Thai political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Thailand and head of Thailand's Interim Government between 2006 and 2008...
announced plans to merge CAT Telecom with rival state telecom enterprise TOT
TOT (Thailand)
TOT Public Company Limited is a Thai state-owned telecommunications company. Originally established in 1954 and corporatized in 2002, TOT used to be known as the Telephone Organization of Thailand and TOT Corporation Public Company Limited. TOT's main line of business is fixed line telephony,...
(formerly the Telephone Organization of Thailand).
The junta also appointed General Saprang Kalayanamitr
Saprang Kalayanamitr
General Saprang Kalayanamitr is a retired officer of the Royal Thai Army, Assistant Secretary-General of the Council for National Security, Commander of the junta's 14,000-man anti-protest force, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airports of Thailand , and also Chairman of the Boards of TOT...
as the new chairman of the board of directors for both CAT Telecom and TOT. Saprang was accused by the founders of People's Television
People's Television
People's Television was a Thai satellite television station. It was established by former executives of the Thai Rak Thai party after the 2006 Thailand military coup overthrew the Thai Rak Thai-led government. It launched despite warnings from the Council for National Security, the military...
(PTV), a new satellite television station, of being behind CAT Telecom's refusal to grant an internet link from Bangkok to a satellite up-link station in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. PTV was established by several ex-executives of the Thai Rak Thai
Thai Rak Thai
The Thai Rak Thai Party was a Thai political party that was officially banned on May 30, 2007, by the Constitutional Court of Thailand due to violations of electoral laws during the 2006 legislative elections. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under Prime Minister and its founder Thaksin...
party. CAT Telecom, however, claimed that it never received PTV's application for internet access.
The junta also cancelled the Thaksin government's telecom excise tax policy. The Thaksin government imposed an excise tax on private fixed and cellular services, and then allowed telecom companies to deduct the amount they paid in excise tax from concession
Concession (contract)
A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...
fees to TOT and CAT Telecom. The total amount paid by the private telecom firms did not change. The Surayud government's excise tax cancellation meant that TOT and CAT Telecom would receive their full concession payments. However, TOT and CAT were then forced to increase their dividends to the Ministry of Finance to account for their increased income.
Coverage
CAT CDMA services are unavailable in the following provinces:- BangkokBangkokBangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
- Ang ThongAng ThongAng Thong ) is a town in Thailand, capital of the Ang Thong Province. The town covers the whole tambon Talat Luang and Bang Kaeo as well as parts of the tambon Sala Daeng, Ban Hae, Ban It, Pho Sa and Yansue, all of Mueang Ang Thong district, and as of 2006 has a population of 13,738...
- KanchanaburiKanchanaburiKanchanaburi ) is a town in the west of Thailand and the capital of Kanchanaburi province. In 2006 it had a population of 31,327...
- ChanthaburiChanthaburiChanthaburi ) is a town in the east of Thailand, at the banks of the Chanthaburi River. It is the capital of the Chanthaburi Province and the Mueang Chanthaburi district....
- ChachoengsaoChachoengsaoChachoengsao ) is a town in central Thailand, capital of the Chachoengsao Province. It is located on the bank of the Bang Pakong River. It occupies the tambon Na Mueang and parts of Ban Mai, Bang Tin Pet, Wang Takhian and Sothon of Mueang Chachoengsao district...
- ChonburiChonburiChunburi may refer to*Chonburi *Chonburi Province*Amphoe Mueang Chonburi *Chonburi FC...
- TratTratTrat is a town in Thailand, capital of Trat Province and the Mueang Trat district. The town is located in the east of Thailand, at the mouth of the Trat River, near the border with Cambodia.-Travel and Accommodation:...
- Nakhon Nayok
- Nakhon PathomNakhon PathomNakhon Pathom is a city in central Thailand, capital of the Nakhon Pathom Province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathom Chedi...
- NonthaburiNonthaburiNonthaburi may refer to:*Nonthaburi Province, Thailand*Amphoe Mueang Nonthaburi, the capital district of the Province*Nonthaburi , city of Nonthaburi...
- Pathum ThaniPathum ThaniPathum Thani is a town in central Thailand, directly north of Bangkok. It is the capital of the Pathum Thani Province, Thailand as well as the Mueang Pathum Thani district. As of 2005, it has a population of 18,320, covering the complete subdistrict Bang Parok....
- Prachuap Khiri KhanPrachuap Khiri KhanPrachuap Khiri Khan is a town in southern Thailand. It is the capital of Prachuap Khiri Khan province and is on the coast at one of the narrowest stretches in Thailand, only 10 km from the Burmese border at Dansingkhorn. The town can reached from Bangkok by train from Hualampong Station or by...
- PrachinburiPrachinburiPrachinburi is a town in Thailand, capital of the Prachinburi Province....
- Phra Nakhon Ratchasima
- PhetchaburiPhetchaburiPhetchaburi , also known as Phetburi, is a town in central Thailand, capital of the Phetchaburi Province. In Thai, Phetchaburi means city of diamonds . It is approximately 160km south of Bangkok, at the northern end of the Thai Peninsula...
- RayongRayongRayong is a city located on the shore of the Gulf of Thailand, in the east coast region of Thailand. It is the capital of Rayong Province, and covers the tambon Tha Pradu and Pak Nam and parts of tambon Choeng Noen and Noen Phra, all within Mueang Rayong district...
- RatchaburiRatchaburiRatchaburi ) is a town in western Thailand, capital of the Ratchaburi Province. It covers the whole tambon Nai Mueang of Mueang Ratchaburi district. As of 2006 it has a population of 38,208.-External links:*...
- LopburiLopburiLopburi ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is located about 150 km north-east of Bangkok. As of 2006 it has a population of 26,500...
- Samut Prakan
- Samut Songkhon
- Samut SakhonSamut SakhonSamut Sakhon is a town in Thailand, capital of the Samut Sakhon province....
- Sakaeo
- SaraburiSaraburiSaraburi is a town in central Thailand, capital of the Saraburi Province. As of 2005, it has a population of 61,900, and covers the complete tambon Pak Phriao of the Mueang Saraburi district....
- Singburi
- SuphanburiSuphanburiSuphan Buri is a town in central Thailand, capital of the Suphan Buri Province. It covers the whole tambon Tha Philiang and parts of the tambon Rua Yai and Tha Rahat, all within the Mueang Suphan Buri district...