TrueMove: Making Dreams Come True

TrueMove is a diverse, energetic IT company and the most successful telecom operator in Thailand. Since putting forward its strategic plan “True Together” in 2007, TrueMove has rapidly become the largest integrated operator in Thailand. It operates mobile, broadband, fixed line, and WiFi networks and has more than 30 million subscribers. How has TrueMove expanded in Thailand’s highly competitive telecom market? We recently interviewed Steven Hopcraft, CTO of True Corporation.

Q: As the largest 3G mobile operator, what is TrueMove's strategy for developing in the face of fierce competition?

A: Our development strategy is to constantly provide customers with new products and services over the past decade. Persistence has made us the largest internet service provider in Thailand; we have the largest cable TV network and widest WiFi coverage. Last year, we became the largest 3G mobile operator in Thailand. Actually, taking the lead in the telecommunication industry is not our only goal. When constructing our 3G network, we most wanted to allow rural people to enjoy an advanced high-speed data network so that they could view the outside world and share in the benefits brought about by technological development.

Q: What are the main challenges for TrueMove in the wireless data business, and how is TrueMove coping with these challenges?

A: Technically, the biggest challenge is forecasting user requirements that arise from smart phones and predicting the habits of people that use social networking. With many of these new trends, it is hard to know what to expect and our experience in forecasting these trends may be limited. We must be very sensitive to technical trends.

In the market, we are focused not only on maintaining flexible tariffs but also on providing optimum personalized services and products for every customer. We address the specific requirements of each of our customers to keep them satisfied.

Q: How will you develop the market through your existing cable TV, broadband, fixed line, 2G/3G, and WiFi networks?

A: On the one hand, we should continue to consolidate our leading position in broadband access; on the other hand, we will focus on constructing our mobile network. Our group is enthusiastic about mobile network development. When we realize cross-coverage in our broadband and mobile networks, we will provide diverse multinetwork bundles and provide users with additional features and benefits.

Q: What are your concerns about the transition from 2G to 3G? How do you deal with problems that arise in the transition when 3G coverage is not yet 100% across the whole country?

A: This is no longer a problem because we already have 100% 3G network coverage nationally. We have constructed 7850 3G base stations covering the whole country. We are more concerned about driving users to migrate from 2G to 3G networks. Based on the existing OCS system, we may provide a platform similar to MVNO to phase out the borders between different networks.

Q: Public access to mobile number portability (MNP) may create a fair competition environment for operators. How will TrueMove take advantage of this opportunity to attract customers and develop services?

A: We accept MNP with pleasure. It is always a good thing to let users have choice. For operators, MNP means fiercer competition and greater opportunity. TrueMove is an energetic and innovative company. MNP allows our users to rapidly respond to our new technologies and services. For example, many of our 3G users have given positive feedback about the strong signal coverage of TrueMove’s 3G network.

Q: Data service offloading has been brought about by the rapid development of data bandwidth and services. How does TrueMove handle and share mass data traffic through WiFi?

A: The increase in data traffic has been amazing, and we are focused on providing stable, high-quality, cost-effective data services. We encourage the use of WiFi and 3G at the same time. Our 3G users can also use our WiFi network in business districts, cities, and towns.

Q: Enterprise customers are a big revenue source for operators. What is TrueMove’s strategy for these customers?

A: Moreso than our competitors, we pay much attention to our enterprise customers. Other operators have advantages in mobile service, but our advantages lie in serving enterprise customers in the fixed line and broadband segment. Recently, the advantages of our 3G network have become more obvious, and we are confident of growing our enterprise customer base.

Q: What do you expect from the convergent charging and service control platform (CCP)?

A: CCP is the single engine in our multinetwork structure. It plays a key role in both prepaid/postpaid convergence and multinetwork convergence. We researched an online charging system and launched it before we began 3G network construction. After the network structure is simplified and user resources are integrated, our goals can come true. That is the real meaning of “True Together”. We have completed the first step in convergence:  construction of the basic structure. In the future, you will see more innovation from TrueMove.