TT&T unit plans gateway expansion

TT&T unit plans gateway expansion
Bangkok Post (5 Oct 2007)

Triple T Global Net, the international internet gateway (IDD) subsidiary of TT&T Plc, plans to spend 50 million baht expanding its internet gateways in Indochina next year in a drive to boost revenue to 400 million baht.

The move fits with the company's goal of becoming a regional IDD hub, said Suwat Punnachaiya, general manager of Triple T Global Net. He said the company was on the verge of installing gateway networks linking Cambodia, Burma and Laos, with operating service starting in 2008. Target customers are internet service providers and telecom operators in those countries. ''We expect revenue of 400 million baht next year, of which 20-30% would stem from customers overseas,'' Mr Suwat said yesterday. Triple T Global Net obtained a type II licence to provide IIG service on its own network. The company already established three internet backbone networks in Hong Kong, the United States and France, which enables customers in those countries to connect directly through local internet backbones and content providers. IIG serves as a channel for local internet service providers (ISP) to connect or exchange traffic with global internet networks. Domestic exchanges route traffic among local ISPs. CAT Telecom had been the dominant IIG for years, forcing all ISPs to lease its bandwidth. It now allows private companies to directly procure their own international bandwidth capacity. Triple T Global Net yesterday announced that it had extended its direct link from its US routers to the network of Google Inc. The direct link, with 1 gigabyte per second, enables Google users to receive and send information faster. he company has also expanded direct links with other US content providers, including Time Warner, Limelight and Cogent. Competition in the local IDD market would intensify next year due to a greater number of service providers and lower bandwidth costs, Mr Suwat said. The use of more than 1 Mbps of bandwidth would result in higher demand. The company expects a 50% increase in countrywide bandwidth usage. Triple T Global Net was also on the verge of applying for an international direct dialling (IDD) licence with the NTC. Commercial IDD services would start early next year if the NTC issues a licence by the end of this year.