Holding company (Public) |
|
Traded as | : INTUCH |
Industry | Technology |
Founded | 21 June 1983 |
Founder | Thaksin Shinawatra |
Headquarters | Chatuchak, Bangkok |
Key people
|
Phillip Tan Chen Chong (president) |
Revenue | THB 25.26 billion (2014) |
THB 14.76 billion (2014) | |
Total assets | THB 54.69 billion (2014) |
Subsidiaries |
Advanced Info Service Thaicom ITAS Intouch Media ITV Matchbox |
Website | intouchcompany |
Intouch Holdings Plc (Thai: บริษัท อินทัช โฮลดิ้งส์ จำกัด (มหาชน); formerly Shin Corporation) is a Thai holding company which focuses on telecommunication industry. It is the parent company of Advanced Info Service (AIS), the largest mobile phone operator in Thailand, and Thaicom, Thailand's satellite operator. It is listed in the and is part of SET50 index.
The company was founded as Shinawatra Computer Service and Investment by Thaksin Shinawatra, who later became the Prime Minister of Thailand. The sale of Shinawatra family's stake in Shin Corporation to Singapore's Temasek Holdings in 2006 sparked a controversy, which intensified the anti-Thaksin movement.
Shin Corporation rebranded itself to Intouch in 2011, including its new stock symbol, but did not officially change its registered name until March 2014.
It was founded in 1983 as Shinawatra Computer by Thaksin Shinawatra, former Prime Minister of Thailand, and took on its later name in 1999, by using the first four letters of his last name. The company grew tremendously under the leadership of Shinawatra.
For its services it received the Royal Warrant on 11 June 2004, which gave it permission to display the royal Garuda emblem in public.
On 23 January 2006, the Shinawatra family sold its remaining 49.6 percent stake in the company to nominees of Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's investment arm, for US$1.88 billion. The 2006 sale of the Shinawatra family's share caused great controversy in Thailand. The sale was in response to long-standing criticisms that the Shinawatra family's holdings created a conflict of interest for Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Critics of the sale focused on allegations directed toward Thaksin and a compliant government that the transaction was exempt from capital gains tax, the fact that the Thai company was sold to a Singaporean company, and the fact that the Thai law regarding foreign investments in the telecom sector had been amended just prior to the sale.