Thailand’s consumers are incredibly tech-savvy, and one of the largest users of mobile data in the world. According to estimates by global 5G leader, Ericsson, data consumption per subscription in Thailand has grown from 25 GB in 2021 to 32.7 GB/month in 2022. The figure is expected to jump to nearly 80 GB/month in 2025.
As a frontrunner market in the deployment of 5G mobile networks, Thailand’s operators have taken critical steps to cater to the demands for Thai consumers and manage this mobile data traffic. However, a recent study by Ericsson, on the expectations of Thai 5G subscribers, provides great insights into how operators can further grow consumer loyalty and market share.
“The key for Thai operators to meet the expectations of consumers is to deliver a great customer experience in terms of the speed, coverage and capacity of the network,” Igor Maurell, Head of Ericsson Thailand said.
“Our report, “5G: The Next Wave” found that nearly 47% of Thai consumers are willing to sign up to a 5G subscription in the coming 12 months, and key factors in their decision making are faster speeds than 4G and coverage. This requires Thai operators to look at how they plan upcoming 5G deployments and optimise their existing 5G networks for resilient performance.”
“As a technology leader in the telecom industry, we can build secure and sustainable networks in Thailand that are trusted to perform at the highest standard and deliver a superior digital customer experience”, Igor said.
Igor added that it starts with having the best performing 5G solutions, that efficiently use spectrum and energy, whilst catering to high demand for mobile data.
Ericsson was recently ranked as the leader in the Frost Radar™ 5G Network Infrastructure Market 2023 report for the third consecutive year, reaffirming its leadership in the 5G network infrastructure market, spanning radio access networks (RAN), transport networks, and core networks.
Ericsson also scored #1 position in the latest ABI Research report on telco vendors sustainability. ABI Research evaluated the capabilities of telecom vendors to reduce energy use and waste across the industry.
“We can today modernize legacy 4G sites with 5G achieving 10 times improved capacity and more than 30 percent energy savings.” stated Igor.
He said another key to delivering a great customer experience is focusing on network design and optimization. “With our extensive experience, which includes powering 147 live 5G networks across 63 countries, we can bring this expertise to Thailand.”
“5G frontrunners such as Far EasTone, Swisscom, and TDC NET, have in fact topped global independent benchmark rankings for performance of networks powered by Ericsson technology.”
Ericsson has a long history of collaboration with Far EasTone in Taiwan, Swisscom in Switzerland and TDC NET in Denmark, and is the sole supplier of the RAN, Core, and optimization services of these three service providers, delivering the best performance in mobile networks and providing a solid foundation for new 5G use cases.
“It’s important to ensure Thailand’s 5G networks are performing well, so that new use cases for 5G can materialize – especially given how Thai consumers are using applications and services,” Igor said.
“There are 1.5 times as many 5G users in Thailand in 2022 compared to 2020, and they are typically engaging with more than three enhanced video and Augmented Reality services compared to this same time period. And as 5G pushes continues to drive usage of enhanced video and AR, the demand for faster uplink throughout will be critical to delivering an overall immersive user experience."
Igor said Ericsson’s long-established deep collaboration with 5G ecosystem players including iOS and android, chipset providers Qualcomm and MediaTek, as well as device brands, e.g. Apple and Oppo can enable operators to be first to market as network and device technologies advance.
“Overall, delivering the best digital customer experience and pushing the boundaries of mobile technology will enable Thai operators to grow their consumer market share and create value through new offerings.”
Ericsson has been present in Thailand for 117 years and has been supporting the country through every generation of mobility, including 5G.
“As a long term and trusted strategic partner, Ericsson will continue to share its global 5G experience with its customers in Thailand, helping ensure successful coverage and capacity deployments with resilient network performance, scalability, simplicity, and security as a primary focus,” Igor said.