Commenting on its commitment to its local strategic partner Total Access Communication (DTAC), Telenor president and chief executive officer Sigve Brekke yesterday said the group, which had now been present in the Kingdom for 15 years, remained committed to the realisation of a digital Thailand with Internet for all.

Telenor is becoming a much more Asian company, he said, adding that it now has a presence in six Asian markets and seven in Europe.

As of the third quarter of last year, the group's Asian operations generated more than 50 per cent of overall revenues, with Norway and the rest of Europe contributing about 20 per cent each.

Mobile-telecom revenue from Thailand accounted for 14.4 per cent of its total revenue as at the end of September.

Telenor's chief said emerging Asian markets were experiencing explosive demand for mobile-data service, and his group was enthusiastic about being part of it.

While DTAC failed to clinch either a 1,800-megahertz licence or a 900MHz licence in the spectrum auctions held late last year, he insisted that this did not affect its competitive advantage, given that the company's existing spectrum portfolio was strong enough to provide quality service to customers.

Moreover, there will be more bandwidth available for auction in the years to come, ranging from the 1,800MHz and 850MHz bands to those on the 2.3- and 2.6-gigahertz spectra, he said.

DTAC's 1,800MHz and 850MHz concessions are due to expire in September 2018.

DTAC CEO Lars Norling recently met with Information and Communications Technology Minister Uttama Savanayana to discuss the issue of the spectrum road map.

Advanced Info Service (AIS) and True Corp each won a licence in the November 1,800MHz auction, while True and Jasmine International each won a licence in the 900MHz auction last month.

With Jasmine as a newcomer, Brekke said DTAC welcomed competition in the market. However, he does not think Thailand is an easy market for any newcomers, considering that they have to start from scratch - from establishing a new network to building their brand and related systems.

Telenor reaffirms its commitment to Thailand - The Nation