Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) board has approved the merger of Advanced Info Service (AIS) and Triple T Broadband (3BB), so long as it doesn’t raise broadband prices for the next five years.
AIS broadband subsidiary Advanced Wireless Network (AWN) struck a deal in July 2022 to acquire 100% of 3BB, along with a 19% stake in Jasmine Broadband Internet Infrastructure Fund (JASIF). The merger makes AIS the biggest fixed broadband player in Thailand with 4.69 million subscribers, displacing True Corp, which has 3.8 million fixed broadband subscribers.
The NBTC board had already approved the plan in principle. The board said that AWN must maintain its pre-merger fixed broadband price packages for at least five years while also maintaining service quality. AWN also must allow for free competition from smaller players and allow them to lease its network. The board also said AWN needs to invest a minimum of 10 billion baht to extend fixed and fixed wireless broadband services to unserved areas.
