Riding the crest of the digital wave

Riding the crest of the digital wave

The chief executive of TKC believes a broadening of services will help it exploit the new economy and list on the bourse

Mr Sayam says TKC is in the process of listing on the SET, with its filing proposal already approved.
Mr Sayam says TKC is in the process of listing on the SET, with its filing proposal already approved.

After almost two decades of experience in telecoms and ICT services, Turnkey Communication Services (TKC) is now pushing for further growth through digital solutions as this sector flourishes.

The company aims to list on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) early next year to support its smart solutions business, in line with the new economy.

"Over the next three years, in addition to telecom and ICT service, we will focus on providing all types of digital solutions, especially in the areas of healthcare, education, logistics and even a lending platform," said Sayam Tiewtranon, chief executive and managing director of TKC.

"We are transforming our operations to become a smart digital solutions provider."

TKC serves as a consultant and manager of ICT solutions and services, as well as modern communication technology.

ENGINEERING STRENGTH

The 49-year-old chief executive attributes the company's success to a team of engineers, which account for 70% of its 500 employees.

"They are technically savvy, experienced and trained, and they have advanced certificates in their fields," he said.

This strength is a key factor that creates customer confidence and fosters satisfaction in our services, specifically for tech development, service quality and cost control, said Mr Sayam.

These engineers assist customers with cost control of system designs, configuration and network maintenance.

The company has always secured partnership contracts in terms of framework agreements with global network providers, which highlights its strong relationship with global players, he said.

Partnering with the global players also helps TKC keep up with new tech developments and business opportunities, said Mr Sayam.

DIGITAL WAVE

"We do not do business day-by-day. We are looking at the crest of the digital wave and we are prepared for it," he said.

There is still a lot of opportunity in increasing business value from 5G tech development, said Mr Sayam.

According to a joint forecast by the Office of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission, Time Consulting and Huawei, the 5G-powered economy will reach 2.3 trillion baht by 2035, accounting for 10% of GDP -- a surge from 2.3% of GDP in 2021.

The ultra-fast broadband ecosystem is expected to create opportunities and add value to the industrial sector of at least 1.6 trillion baht by 2035, as well as reduce the public sector's cost by at least 400 billion baht per year, according to the study.

Thailand has deployed 20,000 5G stations and reached 4.3 million 5G users, which is 2.5 times the total number of 5G users in other Asean countries.

Mr Sayam said demand for digital and network infrastructure will thrive during the Covid-19 recovery period, and there is a need for 5G for in-building connections and to develop the new phase of the Government Data Centre and Cloud Service (GDCC).

In Bangkok, at least 700 buildings are targeted by mobile operators for 5G in-building connections to increase their network capacity to meet with a surge in demand. It costs 3-5 million baht for such arrangement per building.

"Every new tech generation leads to innovative business ecosystems and investments, especially from the 2G mobile network to 3G, 4G and 5G," he said, noting 5G tech adoption in the country is still in the early stages.

Unlike 3G or 4G network expansion, the 5G network requires intensive investment and specific area focus, in line with market demand and economic development, such as major cities, business districts, industrial zones and the Eastern Economic Corridor, said Mr Sayam.

Digital solutions and platforms are expected to thrive in line with more 5G use cases, particularly smart factories, smart education, smart hospitals, big data and cybersecurity.

"In remote villages, tele-education and telehealth are crucially needed," he said.

Cybersecurity is another important front as it protects critical information for the government as well as the financial, transport, energy and public health sectors.

"We are confident we can reach the top position in building cybersecurity services," Mr Sayam said.

"The company also engages in cybersecurity skill training services through collaboration with local and international partners."

EXPONENTIAL GROWTH

Founded in 2002, TKC started to gain prominence as it handled a CDMA (code-division multiple access) network expansion project for CAT Telecom through its major partner. Mr Sayam had engineering experience from his work with Motorola USA, including dealing with CDMA technology.

CAT Telecom and Hutchison group formed the joint venture Hutch as a marketing service brand for its CDMA 1X technology mobile phone service.

TKC was responsible for CDMA site expansion nationwide, except for 25 Central Plains provinces where the task was handled by Hutch.

"TKC experienced exponential growth in the years following this project as CDMA technology was new to the telecom sector in the country," he said.

TKC also worked with SK Telesys, a subsidiary of Korean telecom giant SK Telecom, to handle various engineering tasks, such as radio frequency optimisation.

The CDMA project with CAT Telecom became the start of a journey for the firm in dealing with state projects.

TKC has since worked on network expansion for various private mobile operators.

The company also works for the telecom regulator on mobile network tuning and testing, as well as monitoring the quality of the network services.

"Serving the telecom regulator complements our business ecosystem comprised of four major customers: state enterprises, private operators, regulators and mobile vendors," said Mr Sayam.

Every spectrum licence auction has also resulted in exponential growth of the company's revenue, he said.

"Trust in our service quality and cost control are key factors that support the company's growth," Mr Sayam said.

TKC also expanded its reach into cloud systems, which support the GDCC and data centres.

"Demand for cloud service and data centres has soared during the pandemic. This is not just a new normal, but an 'everyday' normal from now on," he said.

Thanks to business partners and relationships, TKC learned quickly about possible tech trends and embarked on a new journey faster than rivals, said Mr Sayam.

"Our core strength is delivering products and services on time in response to customer needs at an attractive cost," he said.

IPO ON THE CARDS

TKC is in the process of listing on the SET, with its filing proposal already approved.

The firm's initial public offering is for 78 million shares at a par value of one baht. TKC aims to list in early 2022.

TKC booked total revenue of 3 billion baht in 2020, of which 20% was from telecom service, 20% from data communication service, 30% from public safety service, 10% from maintenance services and the remainder from other services.

"I always believed TKC could become a listed company, underscoring our sustainable growth potential," said Mr Sayam.

"The move will propel our smart solutions development in the new economy."

The company designs digital enterprise solutions, radio frequency planning, switching centres and other outsource-managed services, as well as turnkey services for equipment outsourcing, installations and maintenance.

Regarding ICT services, the company operates as a consultant, designer, developer, distributor and installer of computer network equipment, data communication systems, project management, system maintenance and communication.

According to Mr Sayam, the company is certified for ISO 9001:2015 for telecommunication and data communication engineering services, which ensures efficient working systems that can respond to customer needs.

The firm's four core services comprise: telecoms, public safety, enterprise services and managed service.

For telecoms, the company handles network designs, installation, drive tests, mobile network tuning and optimisation services, network maintenance, distribution of equipment, design and installation of transmission towers and transmission networks, as well as allocation of engineers to provide care and operations for mobile phone networks.

The company's public safety services include web intelligence, call data record analytics, big data, systems monitoring and cybersecurity.

Enterprise services include Internet of Things, broadband, data centres, cloud and smart city platforms, while its managed services cover telecom, IT and public safety operations.


BIO DATA

Sayam Tiewtranon, Chief executive and managing director of TKC

EDUCATION

  • Master's in Business Administration, Johnson & Wales University, USA
  • Master's in Telecommunication Computer Network, The George Washington University, USA
  • Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, Boston University, USA

TRAINING PROGRAMMES

  • Financial Statements for Directors (FSD) 2015, Thai Institute of Directors Association
  • Director Certification Programme (DCP) 2014, Thai Institute of Directors Association
  • Director Accreditation Programme (DAP) 2014, Thai Institute of Directors Association

WORK EXPERIENCE

  • June 28, 2021 – present: Director, Chief Executive and Managing Director, Turnkey Communication Services Plc
  • 2005 – June 27, 2021 : Director, Chief Executive and Managing Director, Turnkey Communication Services Co, Ltd (Before registered as a public limited company)
  • 2019 – present : Director, Paradigm Technology Service Company Ltd
  • 2016 – present : Director, IBS Corporation Ltd
  • 1996 – present : Director, Srithai Cleaning Service Co, Ltd
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