Telcos optimistic for a bright 5G future
Speakers and executives line up for a group photo session at the Bangkok Post Conference 2020 '5G: The Game Changer'. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)Thailand's telcos are optimistic about their ongoing rollout of 5G infrastructure and its ability to ignite not just technological but also substantial social change in the country and beyond, according to representatives from the country's two largest telcos at Bangkok Post's 5G: The Game Changer conference on Thursday. Currently, Amata Corporation, Saha Pathana Inter-Holding, and WHA Group are testing a 5G smart city. Last but not least, AIS will help promote sustainable development with 5G for the environment, agriculture, and sustainable urban development. Mr Pratthana added that building ecosystem partnerships are a core factor for improving the efficiency of 5G implementation in the country.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 22:30 UTC
Saviour or hype?
"When 5G speeds come into full force, developers will be able to usher in broader ranges of content, including immersive 3D elements." "As soon as 5G is broadly adopted, there will be a wide variety of new content, including those linked with augmented and virtual reality," said Mr Aticharn. "5G is an enabling technology, apart from AI, IoT, blockchain, VR, big data and bots," said Ms Panraphee. "People are always a little excited when moving from one G to another, but we only have two suppliers and they have to buy the chips from the US," Mr Pongsuk said. In addition to giving gamers a better user experience, companies across sectors must find ways to utilise low latency to make their products and operations more efficient, said Mr Pongsuk.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 22:30 UTC
High-yield bonds back in style
High-yield bonds back in styleThe high-yield bond market, consisting of non-investment-grade bonds offering above-market returns to compensate for higher investment risk, has begun to pick up again after nearly drying up in the first half due to Covid-19 impact, says Asia Plus Securities (ASP). "High-yield bond issuance dropped significantly in April, and many issuers could not completely sell their bonds, while corporate bonds rated at A- and above did not experience any impact," said Yodrudee Santatikul, executive vice-president for capital markets at ASP. Bonds rated A- to A+ were 92% sold, and bonds rated BBB- to BBB+ were 97.9% sold. For high-yield bonds, the issuance size was 57.7% of total offering size. The selling portion for high-yield bonds fell to 37.6% in April but picked up to 87.7% in May, and the bonds were fully subscribed in June.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 22:30 UTC
Four firms to advise on THAI rehab
Four firms to advise on THAI rehabThai Airways International will hire four firms to assist in legal, accounting, business and financial matters as the company works on its debt rehabilitation plan. (Bangkok Post photo)The board of Thai Airways International (THAI) has approved the hiring of four firms to assist in legal, accounting, business and financial matters as the company works on its debt rehabilitation plan. The advisers and experts contracted to assist in THAI's rehabilitation plan are world-renowned specialists in their fields and should inspire confidence among stakeholders, Mr Chansin said. Early this month, THAI asked a "survival team" to devise a business plan to support its debt rehabilitation, according to a source with the airline. The source said the team is headed by Chai Eamsiri, THAI vice president for petroleum, corporate insurance and aviation environment.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 22:30 UTC
Medical tourism plan to go ahead
Medical tourism plan to go aheadTaweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation AdministrationForeign medical tourists will still be allowed to enter Thailand as planned, but stricter disease control measures will be imposed upon them, a senior official said on Thursday. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration(CCSA), said the kingdom's medical and wellness tourism programme is expected to restart at the end of this month at the earliest. Those seeking cosmetic surgery and infertility treatments will be allowed to enter the country, Dr Taweesilp said, adding those seeking Covid-19 treatment are barred. After treatment, the visitors will be placed under quarantine for 14 days at the government-sanctioned hospitals before they are discharged. "There are enough medical resources and personnel to handle 1,000 patients per day," he added.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 22:30 UTC
Prayut hints at reshuffle next month
Prayut hints at reshuffle next monthPrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has revealed that a cabinet reshuffle could take place next month after Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana and three others handed in their resignation letters with immediate effect yesterday. The four quit after Somkid Jatusripitak resigned as deputy prime minister of the economic team on Wednesday. Speaking in Si Sa Ket, Gen Prayut said he was not under pressure to reshuffle the cabinet but it should be done soon. He admitted that he had approached "outsiders" to join the economic team and fill his quota of cabinet seats. Gen Prayut urged the public to trust him in choosing replacements but said he cannot please everyone.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 22:30 UTC
Govt must man up, take blame for virus-hit VIPs
Govt must man up, take blame for virus-hit VIPsSo, after 49 days of enjoying life again and adjusting to the "new normal" following the long lockdown that left many penniless, rumours suddenly spread about two high-profile coronavirus infections in the country. But those who have been allowed in must stay in state quarantine, right? The CCSA, while pledging to take responsibility for the oversights, has not been convincing in its promise to rectify them. To make it worse, the prime minister dismissed calls for compensation for those affected since "no infections have yet been traced in Rayong". Instead of offering meaningless apologies, saying we should all learn together, the government should man up, take the blame and be more sincere.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 22:30 UTC
A warning from Poland on Trump
A warning from Poland on TrumpFew people outside of Poland care about the outcome of last Sunday's presidential election there, but maybe they should. Mr Duda only got 51.2% of the vote against 48.8% for his liberal opponent, but Mr Trump doesn't even need that many votes. Mr Duda is more intelligent than Mr Trump, and the Covid-19 death toll is only 40 per million people in Poland, compared to 420 per million in the US. Mr Duda doesn't use the slogan "Make Poland Great Again" because it's three centuries since Poland was a great power in Europe. If Mr Trump promised a thinly disguised "basic income" like that for the US, he could probably win too.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 22:30 UTC
Covid-19 scare tests turn up negative
In Rayong, 1,336 people underwent coronavirus tests on Tuesday and all tested negative, Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said yesterday. His young daughter later tested positive for Covid-19. They tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, but showed no symptoms. He tested positive last Saturday, but showed no symptoms. She tested positive on Wednesday, Dr Taweesilp said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 22:30 UTC
The Mall reworks structure
The Mall reworks structureMs Supaluck expects sales this year to contract by 10-15% from 50 billion baht. Kriengsak Tantiphipop is the chief executive of the real estate business unit, with Jakkrit Keeratichokchaikun the chief executive of the trading business unit. After the organisational restructuring, The Mall Group's image will no longer be perceived as a family-run business, she said. According to Ms Supaluck, after the transformation The Mall Shopping Complex's positioning will be changed to The Mall Life Store, with the pilot prototype already introduced at The Mall Ngam Wong Wan. A similar plan is afoot for The Mall Bangkapi next year and The Mall Ramkhamhaeng in subsequent years.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 22:30 UTC
Baht erodes further after Somkid's exit
The baht continued to weaken after the resignations of Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and four other key officials. The baht is now Asia's weakest currency against the US dollar on a year-to-date basis, down 5.5%, according to Reuters. For the first five months of the year, net foreign outflow from the Thai bond market stood at 150 billion baht. But the market booked net foreign capital inflows worth 30 billion baht in June and a further 10 billion baht in July. But Thailand's stock market has seen net foreign outflow worth 221.6 billion baht year-to-date.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 22:30 UTC
Vicious cycle strikes again
So this is political déjà vu for the embattled prime minister as the Sam Mitr faction is stirring up matters again. It has been reported that Gen Prayut wishes to fill the vacant positions with those who possess solid experience. This week, the prime minister will have do some hard bargaining, with all the factions demanding the maximum. It's a very costly political lesson for Gen Prayut and he must know he's the one who got himself into this predicament. Should Gen Prayut survive politically this time, he needs to put much more effort into the political reform process which in the long run would get Thai politics out of its vicious cycle.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 19:52 UTC
Air Force's 'skyrice' helps people hit by Covid-19
Air Force's 'skyrice' helps people hit by Covid-19The Royal Air Force installs a rice dispenser, known as skyrice, to hand out free grain to people hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The machine, with the Gripen fighter logo, is installed on the second floor of Khum Kao Building at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital. (Photo: Wassana Nanuam)The Royal Thai Air Force has installed an automatic rice-dispensing machine to hand out free rice to people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Air force chief Manat Wongwat on Thursday inspected the ATM-like rice dispenser, known as ‘’skyrice’’ at the second floor of Khum Kao Building at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital. ACM Manat said the RTAF floated the idea to help people hit by the coronavirus outbreak.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 12:45 UTC
xCash teams up with Blue Card to open Point Transfer in collaboration with add app users and drive online boom
Blue Card has over 6.2 million members and can help develop the app’s customer base. The collaboration will also expand options for app users. The partnership expands the Blue Card membership base to a new generation of customers with more diverse lifestyles. They can also redeem prizes and receive many special privileges from participating stores and easily accumulate Blue Points from every purchase at PTT Stations. xCash app and Blue Card members can transfer their reward points from now until 30 June 2021.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 12:45 UTC
Banker tipped to be new finance minister
Banker tipped to be new finance ministerPredee Daochai, president of the Thai Bankers' Association and co-president of Kasikornbank, is tipped to become the new finance minister, according to Thai media. (Kasikornbank photo)Thai Bankers' Association president Predee Daochai is tipped to be the next finance minister, according to Thai media. The 61-year-old banker has reportedly been advising the government on several issues, including the 1.9-trillion-baht borrowing decree for Covid-19 economic rehabilitation. From the public sector, an official who works closely with the prime minister, Tossaporn Sirisamphan, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Board, is also rumoured to join the new economic team. His quota was given to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paochinda, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, Mr Somkid and his four men.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 16, 2020 12:26 UTC