Jasmine submarine cable challenges CAT

Jasmine submarine cable challenges CAT

KOMSAN TORTERMVASANA

JasTel Network, a subsidiary of Jasmine International Plc, is preparing to invest more than one billion baht to install a submarine cable to link Thailand to international connections.

According to Somchai Treerattananukool, the company's general manager, the investment proposal is now pending approval from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

''We hope this investment would offer another choice for clients apart from the services of CAT Telecom,'' he said.

JasTel Network, a telecommunications network and service provider, was established in June 2006 with 220 million baht in registered share capital and is 100% held by Jasmine Submarine Telecommunications Co Ltd (JSTC), also a subsidiary company of Jasmine Group.

JasTel was granted a 15-year type 2 licence (as a service provider with its own network) in 2006 to operate domestic and international leased circuits, IP-VPN and managed network services via optical-fibre cable, submarine optical-fibre cable and copper wires.

Mr Somchai said that with greater bandwidth to link international networks both on land and undersea, and with more than one operator, Thailand's broadband internet gateway rental services would be able to stay more competitive with foreign providers.

More importantly, he said, the planned investment would also help result in cheaper internet connection fees and drive the growth of data communication services now valued at more than 10 billion baht a year.