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Published on August 24, 2007

Internet service provider Jasmine Internet (Ji Net) has expanded into new telecommunications businesses as part of plans to boost revenue, its president Somsak Padhana-anek said this week.

The company recently made a foray into the business of international calling card sales under a licence from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). Somsak said that the business was expected to generate Bt100 million in revenue next year, up from the forecast Bt40 million this year.

He added that the Ji Net calling cards had mainly tapped parents who often call their children and people who call loved ones. This is to stand out clearly from competitors, which mainly focus on foreign travellers in Thailand.

He said the calling cards generated average revenue of Bt450 per month per user, adding that the market is huge, given that around 200,000 Thai students go overseas to study every year.

Ji Net has operated its ISP business under an NTC licence. It has about 5,000 broadband customers.

The market value of the international calling card business rose from Bt400 million to about Bt600 million after the recent market liberalisation by the NTC. There are 17 international calling card providers under NTC licences.

Ji Net has also launched international calling SIM cards offering low rates. Somsak said Ji Net was also waiting for the NTC to grant it the licences needed to become a reseller of all kinds of telecom services.

The company has also moved aggressively into providing wireless systems and services for banks and major companies which want to connect their ATMs or office branches via a wireless connection system.

Moreover, Ji Net is interested in exploring an Internet-based public pay-phone service for overseas calls.

The company targets revenue of Bt450 million this year, up from Bt400 million last year.

As a medium-sized firm, Ji Net is not interested in investing in a network to provide services but only in providing telecom services to customers, Somsak added.

Sirivish Toomgum

The Nation