Thai equipment supplier Samart is considering following a similar path. The company is in talks with Malaysian partner Axiata and another Asian telco over forming a JV for the purpose, Samart president Watchai Vilailuck told the Post.
The venture would have initial funding of 20 billion baht and be at least 51% owned by Samart's MVNO unit Samart i-Mobile, he said.
But Watchai said the company would wait until the results of a feasibility study to determine whether the project would be worth its hefty price tag.
If the study gives a thumbs down, Samart will instead pour an extra 1 billion baht into developing i-Mobile's existing MVNO services, and look into launching new services on Axiata's APAC networks.
Samart i-Mobile currently offers 3G services over state-owned operator TOT's network. It has around 85,000 3G customers, and expects to hit 100,000 – the estimated number required to achieve profitability - next month.
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