AIS group starts data promotion

The Nation (9 November 2007)

Bridge Alliance, of which Advanced Info Service (AIS) is a member, will launch promotional packages for international data roaming services with flat rates across the region.

The alliance consists of 11 major regional cellular operators - Airtel of India, AIS, CSL of Hong Kong, CTM of Macau, Globe Telecom of the Philippines, Maxis of Malaysia, SingTel of Singapore, SingTel Optus of Australia, SK Telecom of Korea, Taiwan Mobile and Indonesia's Telkomsel - with a combined 175 million subscribers.

AIS chief executive Vikrom Sripratak said the flat rate throughout the 11 countries would encourage AIS subscribers to access data content while travelling overseas and boost the company's international roaming revenue.

AIS has recorded outbound customers numbering around one million this year, of which 600,000 used international data access roaming. Of total annual international roaming revenue, 20 per cent is from data access. In the second quarter, AIS international roaming revenue accounted for 4.2 per cent of its service revenue of Bt19.597 billion.

The promotion offers two options. The first one charges Bt1,040 monthly for access to up to 15 megabytes of information, equivalent to around 300 e-mails or 150 web pages.

The second charges Bt2,080 monthly for data access of 40 megabytes. AIS customers can subscribe to these packages from next Monday.

AIS deputy president Hui Weng Cheong said the packages would help subscribers to save around 90 per cent of international data roaming costs when compared to earlier charges, which varied among alliance operators.