Bangkok--18 Feb--Thaicom
Thailand’s satellite operator, Thaicom Public Company Limited today released its operating results for the year 2013, announcing a consolidated net profit of 1.1 billion Baht, an increase of 548% over the previous year, while stand-alone profits rose to 802 million Baht.
“2013 was the second year in a row in which Thaicom posted a net operating profit,” Suphajee Suthumpun, Chairman of the Executive Committee and CEO, Thaicom Public Company Limited stated. “We are very pleased with our performance and our ability to contribute positively to Thailand’s economic and social development, both in terms of financial contributions and technological support. Financially our consolidated bottom line has improved significantly when compared to the performance of 2012, while in the area of satellite services technology we grew the viewer base and the available capacity for Thailand’s satellite TV broadcasters.”
The Company’s core Satellite operations contributed 88% of the Company’s total revenues of 7.89 Billion Baht, while the net profit margin on its stand-alone performance stood at 14% in 2013.
“Several important milestones during the past year helped us achieve these results and strengthen our position as a leading Thai-owned and operated corporation driving Thailand’s business expansion abroad,” Suphajee stated. “In the beginning of the year we signed the definitive agreement with Synertone for all IPSTAR capacity over China. In August we started providing interim satellite services to our customers as we were preparing for the launch of Thaicom 6. Throughout the year we also entered into several partnerships with companies such as Gilat, Row 44 or Global Eagle, and others to strengthen our portfolio and set the stage for longer-term expansion and growth,” Suphajee explained.
Near-term areas of growth for the Company include the launch of Thaicom 7 scheduled for later this year, and potential sales growth in the African market now that Thaicom 6 has been launched.
“Thaicom has built a solid foundation,” Suphajee said, “and we will now focus on expansion, both horizontally and vertically. We have, over the past decade, made Thailand’s presence known throughout the region through our satellite services and technological know-how. We will continue this drive of promoting Thai excellence in the satellite sector as we build more partnerships to strengthen our participation in downstream services, including the provision of end-to-end solutions for customers, Mobility solutions, and content distribution services to name just a few.”
In other areas of the Company’s operations, its internet and media subsidiary, CSLoxinfo improved its performance year-on-year, posting a consolidated profit of 462 million Baht, contributed mainly by its cloud services and ICT solutions. Lao Telecom, the Company’s telephone operation in the Lao PDR, remains the number one player in the mobile phone market, and posted an annual profit of 95 million Baht.