Thailand and Botswana in Southern Africa sign gigabit solution supply agreements with telecommunications companies

KT announced that it will supply GiGA solutions to Thailand and Botswana.

The telecommunications companies that signed the contract are Advanced Info Service (hereinafter AIS), Thailand's No. 1 telecommunications operator, and Botswana Fibre Networks (hereinafter BoFiNet) of Botswana.

KT has already supplied GiGA LTE solutions to AIS in Thailand and signed a contract to supply GiGA Wire solutions with BoFiNet in Botswana on August 21.

AIS, a Thai telecommunications carrier, is the number one provider with approximately 51% of the population subscribed (as of Q1 2017). AIS determined that the GiGA LTE solution is the solution to gain an advantage in speed competition in the Thai mobile market, which has ushered in an era of one smartphone per person. Accordingly, it has been preparing LTE services for general subscribers in collaboration with KT since March of this year.

On the 17th, AIS launched the NEXT G service utilizing the GiGA LTE solution at the AIS experience store in Central World Shopping Mall in Bangkok. At the event, attended by over 1,000 customers, AIS President and Chief Operating Officer Hui Weng Cheong personally demonstrated GiGA LTE, achieving a peak speed of 1,162.3 Mbps, which received an enthusiastic response from the attendees.

Starting with the successful launch of the GiGA LTE solution, KT and AIS have also agreed to cooperate on strategies to secure future growth opportunities in the telecommunications market. This entry of the GiGA LTE solution into Thailand is the second achievement following the commercialization of GiGA LTE by Turk Telekom Group (TTG), Turkey's No. 1 wired and wireless telecommunications group, last April.

On the 21st, KT also signed a supply contract for its GiGA Wire solution with Botswana Fibre Networks (hereinafter BoFiNet), located in Southern Africa. BoFiNet is a state-owned telecommunications company under the Ministry of State Communications of Botswana. KT’s GiGA Wire solution, which achieves 1Gbps internet speeds using only copper wires without fiber optic cables, is expected to bring innovation to telecommunications life in Botswana, where copper is a major export and the internet penetration rate is less than 30%. Furthermore, it is expected to play a significant role as a bridgehead for KT’s GiGA Wire solution to enter the African market.

Lim Tae-sung, Executive Vice President and Head of KT’s Global Business Promotion Office, stated, “I am pleased that KT’s GiGA solution is being recognized for its excellence in the global market. This is a prime example of jointly expanding into overseas markets with technologically advanced Korean SMEs.” He added, “As Korea’s leading telecommunications company, KT will continue its efforts to promote the nation’s status as an IT powerhouse to the world.”