The total fixed communications services revenue in Thailand is set to decline from US$5.0bn in 2021 to US$4.5bn in 2026 with the continued drop in fixed voice service revenue failing to offset the steady growth in fixed broadband service revenues, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company

An analysis of GlobalData’s Thailand Fixed Communication Forecast Model (Q3-2021) indicates that the fixed voice service revenue is set to decline at a CAGR of 10.8% over 2021-2026 due to falling circuit-switched subscriptions and drop in fixed voice average revenue per user (ARPU). High preference for mobile and OTT-based communication services will also drag down fixed voice revenues in coming years.

Fixed broadband service revenue will increase at a CAGR of 1.8% over the forecast period, mainly driven by the steady rise in fiber-to-the-home/business (FTTH/B), fixed wireless and digital subscribers line (DSL) subscriptions.

Aasif Iqbal, Telecom Analyst at GlobalData, says: “Fiber lines will remain the most prominent fixed broadband technology over the forecast period, with its share in total the fixed broadband access lines increasing from 61.1% in 2021 to 66.8% in 2026. This growth can be attributed to the expansion of fiber optic network coverage in the country. For instance, Thailand government, under ‘Thailand’s Village Broadband Internet Project (Net Pracharat)’, is working on the deployment of fiber optic core network spanning across 80,000 kilometres countrywide.

“NT will lead the fixed voice services segment in terms of subscriptions in 2021 and will be surpassed by TrueOnline in 2023. TrueOnline will lead the fixed-broadband segment until 2025, supported by its focus on expanding fixed broadband network coverage as well as promoting multi-play bundle with access speed of up to 1Gbps.”