Total Access Communication Plc (DTAC), the country's second-largest cellular operator, seeks to double its mobile data users within two years thanks to a rapid transition from 3G to 4G mobile services.
DTAC interim chief executive Sigve Brekke (centre) joins other executives after the completion of the 4G coverage roll-out on the 21-km Hua Lamphong-Bang Sue subway.
The company will today announce its six-month content partnership with Facebook and together launch a special "Happy Connection" package in Thailand.
DTAC is among six mobile operators globally that Facebook selected to have customised services for the US, Europe, Asia and Africa.
As of March 31, Thailand had 26 million Facebook users and Bangkok had more Facebook users than any other city in the world.
Sigve Brekke, interim chief executive of DTAC, said Thailand's mobile internet data traffic had been exploding exponentially with 60% growth year on year thanks to data-hungry social network users.
In the past two years, the number of Facebook users in Thailand has doubled, while users of messaging service Line have tripled. The country is also ranked second for the number of YouTube viewers.
Thai users consume an average of 400 megabytes of data per month, while European peers consume less than 200.
"Thai users spend three hours a day on their phones compared with only 10 minutes only five years ago," Mr Brekke said.
Moreover, Thailand has almost 40 million smartphones, of which 25% are 4G-enabled devices. This represents huge mobile data growth, particularly for 4G services.
Mr Brekke said DTAC still had low active mobile data users, with only 40% of its 28 million customers. It aims to double its mobile data users to 80% of total customers within two years to achieve the "Internet for All" vision of its Norwegian parent company Telenor.
To achieve its goal, DTAC aims to become the best 3G and 4G network service provider in Bangkok and 30 major cities by March 2015 by investing 10 billion baht to add 6,500 3G base stations on the 850-megahertz and 2100-MHz spectra. This will bring its number of base stations to 18,500.
The extra budget will also cover the installation of 3,000 4G base stations.
The company recently completed a roll-out of its 2100-MHz 4G coverage on the 21-kilometre subway connecting 18 stations from Hua Lamphong to Bang Sue.
The service will serve 300,000 daily commuters on the subway, of which 20-30% surf the internet on the DTAC network. The company found that Bangkokians comprise one-third of the Thai population that consume mobile data.
"High-speed wireless service is a critical infrastructure to drive the country's digital economy," Mr Brekke said.
Khalid Shehzad, chief technology officer of DTAC, said the company foresees the country migrating from 3G to 4G service within the next 18 months, faster than the move from 2G to 3G, which took a few years.
In 2015, the price gap between 4G and 3G mobile phones will be reduced to only 600-650 baht or US$20, so users may switch to 4G phones. The current price difference is around $100.