Native name
|
Thai: ทีโอที |
---|---|
State-owned | |
Industry | Telecommunications |
Founded | February 24, 1954 |
Headquarters | Bangkok, Thailand |
Area served
|
Thailand |
Key people
|
Mr Monchai Noosong (President) |
Products |
Mobile telephony, Wireless broadband services |
Revenue | US$1.5 billion (2013) |
US$124 million (2013) | |
Total assets | US$5.6 billion (2013) |
Website | www |
TOT Public Company Limited (ทีโอที) is a Thai state-owned telecommunications company. Originally established in 1954 and corporatized in 2002, TOT used to be known as the Telephone Organization of Thailand and TOT Corporation Public Company Limited. TOT's main line of business is fixed line telephony, although it has several other businesses, including mobile telephony. Its current president is Mr Monchai Noosong, appointed to the post on 16 November 2015. 13 April 2003
The first use of the telephone in Thailand began during the reign of King Rama V in 1881 with a telephone line constructed between the Bangkok, and Paknam, in Samut Prakan, a short distance south of Bangkok along the Chao Phraya River. Its purpose was informing Bangkok of the arrival and departure of ships at Paknam.
The Telephone Organization of Thailand was founded by the Thai government on 24 February 1954. A state enterprise under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, it incorporated the Telephone Technician Unit under The Post and Telegraph Department. It originally had 732 staff members and a budget of 50 million baht. The TOT provided telephone services in the Bangkok metropolis, which included Wat Lieb, Bang Rak, Ploenchit, and Sam Sen Exchanges.
TOT was transformed from a state-owned enterprise under the control of the Transport and Communication Ministry to a public company named TOT Corporation Public on 31 July 2002.
Under the deposed government of Thaksin Shinawatra (2001–2006), TOT became a corporation and plans were under way to privatise a portion of the state enterprise through an IPO on the . These plans were cancelled after the Thaksin government was overthrown by a coup on 19 September 2006. Soon after the coup, the junta of General Surayud Chulanont announced plans to merge TOT with rival state telecom enterprise CAT Telecom (formerly the Communications Authority of Thailand).