State enterprise National Telecom (NT) has entered into a partnership with Chinese satellite company Shanghai Spacesail Technologies Co Ltd (SpaceSail) to strengthen the country's digital economy and digital infrastructure through the broadband internet connectivity of SpaceSail's low-Earth orbit (LEO) network.
This latest move will complement NT's existing partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb for providing a LEO satellite broadband internet service, which was launched in the region on March 25 this year through NT's satellite gateway in Ubon Ratchathani province.
According to NT president Col Sanphachai Huvanandana, NT recently entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with SpaceSail in terms of the sharing of satellite infrastructure for providing a satellite broadband service, especially to potential mass subscribers in remote areas.
They will also jointly develop digital solutions and explore new business models for LEO satellites, which will create mutual benefits for both the corporate sector and the country.
"The collaboration is another important step in driving the country towards a sustainable digital society and creating new opportunities in the Thai space industry on the world stage," Col Sanphachai added.
Col Sanphachai and SpaceSail president Jason Jie Zheng signed the agreement during the recent China Space Conference 2025 in Shanghai.
"NT aims to push Thailand towards becoming a satellite communication hub in the region by supporting the application of digital solutions and providing opportunities for businesses, governments, and space startups to access modern infrastructure and networks," Col Sanphachai said.
"The service through Eutelsat OneWeb's LEO network will mainly focus on corporate users, while those of SpaceSail will focus on the mass market," Col Sanphachai added.
He earlier disclosed that the Eutelsat OneWeb service is expected to support over 50,000 users in the Southeast Asian region, excluding Thailand, within its first year of operation.
Late last year, the board of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission gave its approval to NT-Eutelsat OneWeb to provide the satellite broadband internet service internationally under NT's landing rights.
However, the approval has yet to cover the service offering in the local market.
Eutelsat OneWeb and NT have collectively invested over US$25million in local infrastructure to make sure services under their partnership are possible in Thailand and the region.
NT expects the revenue stream from providing facilities to Eutelsat Oneweb's LEO satellites to reach at least 200 million baht per year.