Industry Competition in 2024 and Outlook for 2025
Industry Competition During The Preceding Year
Mobile Industry Market Share FY24
FBB Industry Market Share FY24
In 2025, the telecommunications and digital services industry is expected to continue its growth path.
Mobile Business Growth Driven by Data Demand and Quality Focus
Fixed-Broadband industry expected to grow driven by customer demand for new products and services
Digital technology adoption in businesses to continue growing from both domestic and international demand
Industry Competition in 2024 and Outlook for 2025
Mobile
49%
Revenue Market Share
48%
Subscriber Market Share
Mobile Industry & Competition: Market Share FY24
Fixed-Broadband
46%
Revenue Market Share
47%
Subscriber Market Share
FBB Industry & Competition: Market Share FY24
Industry Competition in 2024
Mobile Industry Focused on Quality-Based Competition Amidst Cautious Growth in Thailand's Economy
In 2024, Thailand's economy continued to be driven by tourism and private consumption, recovering from government stimulus measures. However, the export sector faced pressure due to weak global demand and geopolitical tensions. The Thai mobile industry, consisting of two major operators and one state enterprise (National Telecom Public Company Limited or NT), saw industry revenue grow by 4% YoY, reaching THB 300 billion. This growth was fueled by rising data consumption demand, with operators prioritizing service quality and expanding 5G coverage, which now reaches over 95% of the population. Additionally, 5G users now account for 25% of total mobile subscribers. Operators are also diversifying their offerings by introducing bundled service packages, such as content, entertainment, video streaming services, and daily add-on packages, to better cater to consumer demand. The continued recovery in tourism-related usage has also contributed to the industry's total subscriber growth, which has increased to 96 million, representing 145% of Thailand's population. Driven by dedicated focus on quality products and services, 5G subscriber migration, and increasing add-on services,
AIS reported a 2.0% growth in ARPU and an increase of 2.6% in subscribers. Its mobile revenue also grew by over 4.8%, outpacing the industry average. At the end of 2024, AIS held a 48% market share by subscribers and a 49% market share by revenue. (Note: Data excludes NT subscribers and revenue.)
Fixed-Broadband industry continues to expand with subscribers growth in new areas
At the end of 2024, the fixed-broadband industry’s value reached THB 60 billion, reflecting a 2% YoY growth. This growth was driven by urbanization in Thailand, which increased the demand for digital connectivity in households. Market competition remained stable as operators focused on providing high-quality services and innovative value-added packages. The number of fixed-broadband subscribers in Thailand rose to 10.6 million, marking a 2.5% increase from the end of 2023, resulting in a broadband penetration rate of 36% across Thailand's 29 million households, while industry ARPU increased by 6% YoY align with stable competition and focusing on delivering digital add-on services.
In 2024, AIS focused on its integration with Triple T Broadband Public Company Limited (TTTBB) following the completion of acquisition in late 2023. The emphasis has been on improving operational efficiency, offering a diverse range of packages to provide added value for customers of both companies, and delivering comprehensive packages that include high-quality home internet and entertainment content. By the end of 2024, AIS reported over 5.0 million fixed-broadband subscribers, growing by 267,000 households, or 5.6% YoY, with a revenue growth of 116% YoY. The market share by subscribers and revenue stood at 47% and 46%, respectively.
Technology and digital services are playing an increasingly important role in Thai businesses
The technology and digital services industry for enterprise customers grew by over 10%, reaching a market value of THB 160 billion, reflecting rising organizational demand for digital solutions despite limited economic recovery. High-demand services include data connectivity, cloud, data centers, IoT, and AI. These services present opportunities for telecommunications service providers to expand through existing enterprise customer bases and partnerships with global technology firms to offer more comprehensive digital services to enterprise customers.
AIS has emphasized enterprise services, placing a strong focus on connectivity infrastructure services, such as EDS, 5G for business, cloud, and data centers. It has also developed tailored solutions to support end-to-end digital integration for businesses. This strategy resulted in over 22% revenue growth in AIS's enterprise non-mobile business compared to 2023.
Industry Competition Outlook in 2025
Mobile Business Growth Driven by Data Demand and Quality Focus Thailand's
Economic outlook for 2025 is projected to grow modestly at a similar rate to 2024. The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) forecasts Thailand’s GDP growth for 2025 to range between 2.3% and 3.3% 3, driven by increased government expenditure, domestic demand expansion, and the recovery of the tourism sector to pre-COVID-19 levels, despite risks from household debt and the global economic slowdown due to geopolitical tensions. The mobile industry is anticipated to benefit from higher data consumption demand and government stimulus campaigns, boosting domestic spending. The recovery of the tourism sector is also expected to positively impact international usage and roaming services, contributing to revenue growth in the mobile industry. Competition in the coming year is expected to remain stable, with operators continuing to prioritize high-quality services to meet the growing digital needs of consumers. Additionally, operators will focus on offering diverse benefits to provide value and enhance the user experience.
The mobile business outlook for AIS in 2025 remains focused on driving revenue growth by delivering high-quality products and services that cater to a wide range of use cases. AIS aims to enhance the user’s experience with high-quality 5G network technology and focuses on offering packages tailored to specific customer segments.
3 Thailand's Economic Conditions in Q3 2024 and Outlook for 2024–2025, Monday, November 18, 2024, at 9:30 AM, Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council
Fixed-Broadband industry expected to grow driven by customer demand for new products and services
The fixed-broadband industry in Thailand continues to show growth potential as Thai society transitions toward a digital society. The household penetration rate for fixed broadband remains low, at approximately 35%, reflecting opportunities for growth through service expansion into new areas. Competition in 2025 is expected to remain stable, with operators focusing on offering high-quality packages and diverse services, such as broadband bundled with video content, special high-speed packages for gamers, and IoT smart home solutions. These offerings aim to meet the digital needs of consumers, contributing to a significant increase in the number of subscribers and the overall value of the broadband market.
AIS aims to grow its fixed-broadband business by leveraging access to a customer base of over 5.0 million households, enabling the company to offer new products and value-added services that align with customers' digital needs. Additionally, the integrated network, which covers over 20 million households, allows for an opportunity to expand the customer base into new areas, creating opportunities for revenue growth.
Digital technology adoption in businesses to continue growing from both domestic and international demand
Digital technology has become increasingly important as Thai businesses integrate it into their operations to enhance competitiveness and improve efficiency. Additionally, global technology providers have expanded their investments in Thailand under Thai regulatory oversight, which has accelerated the demand for digital infrastructure products and services, such as connectivity networks, cloud storage, and data centers. This growing demand presents opportunities to introduce new technologies to enterprise customers in the future.
AIS sees continuous growth opportunities for its enterprise customer services business in 2025 and remains committed to offering products and solutions that drive digital transformation in the business sector, enhance competitiveness, and increase cost flexibility. The focus is on providing connectivity infrastructure services, such as high-quality connectivity network technology, cloud services through partnerships with global partners, and data center services, to meet the growing demand for digital solutions. The company also provides digital platforms and solutions tailored to meet diverse business needs, fostering mutual growth between AIS and its enterprise clients.