State-owned National Telecom has proposed building four new international subsea cables connecting Thailand to Singapore, Japan and Europe at a cost of THB16.1 billion (US$480 million), The Nation reported.
The state telco submitted the plan to the Finance Ministry, seeking funds under an emergency decree approved by the Cabinet in May, according to a ministry source cited by the newspaper.
The proposal allocates THB6.6 billion for two cable systems to Singapore, THB4 billion for Europe and THB5.5 billion for Japan, The Nation reported.
NT is requesting the money from a THB400 billion borrowing authorised to ease rising energy costs and restructure the energy sector, the report said.
The decree primarily targets low-income earners, farmers and small businesses, but NT argued the cables are needed to replace ageing infrastructure and boost international bandwidth.
Growing data traffic from AI, cloud computing and hyperscale data centres requires the new capacity, NT said.
Stable networks would help Thai start-ups and researchers develop innovations in fintech, telemedicine and self-driving vehicles, the telco argued.
The project remains in the preparatory stage, with no feasibility studies or site surveys conducted yet, according to The Nation.
NT must secure a project partner and obtain government and environmental approvals before construction can begin, the report added.
The timetable calls for NT to find partners, form a consortium and conduct surveys through the end of this year, with a turnkey contract to be awarded via international tender early next year.
The proposal follows a separate September project linking Thailand to the US via Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
Which countries will the new cables connect Thailand to? The four systems will link Thailand to Singapore, Japan and Europe, with two separate cables planned for the Singapore route.
Has NT started building the cables yet? No, the project is still in the preparatory stage and requires feasibility studies, site surveys and multiple government approvals before work begins.
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