AT&T Inc, a global communications service provider, is counting on the fast-growing Southeast Asian market to expand its business.
Loeb: Mobile traffic to transform firms
The Texas-based firm opened a local office here last year after obtaining a licence to operate multimedia service in Indonesia in 2011.
Eric Loeb, the vice-president for international external affairs, said there remains tremendous growth opportunities in Southeast Asia.
Thailand is a strategic country for the company's business expansion in the region, he said.
AT&T invested US$1 billion of capital annually for global services and network of approximately 920,000 miles submarine cable connecting roughly 120 countries.
Mr Loeb said the company plans to transform itself into a cloud-based wireless service provider by 2020.
Cloud intelligent storage moves from devices to a cloud network.
He projects increasing mobile internet traffic will radically affect local business and industries over the next five years.
AT&T is on the verge of combining fourth-generation technology with cloud systems to capitalise on rising business opportunities, said Mr Loeb.
He said by 2020, AT&T expects smartphones will have replaced people's wallets, pass cards and keys, while tablets will function as a mobile office.
Smart homes will anticipate user needs, while medicine will become personalised and pre-emptive, with better outcomes at a lower cost, said Mr Loeb.
Higher education will become democratised through massive open online courses, which will make college degrees more affordable.
The potential for machine-to-machine (M2M) applications is immense, and AT&T is a global leader in M2M communication, said Mr Loeb.
M2M technology allows businesses to sense certain issues with their machines, analyse the problem and respond in a quick and cost-effective manner, minimising downtime and costs.
AT&T has deployed M2M applications targeting the healthcare, automobile and airline industries.