The partnership between state enterprise National Telecom (NT) and Eutelsat OneWeb to provide a broadband internet service in Thailand via low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites may have to further wait for clear guidelines from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
NBTC acting secretary-general Trairat Viriyasirikul said providing a broadband service in Thailand via LEO satellites will likely require clear guidelines from the regulator to supervise marketing and operations.
Service operations should also align with the Space Business Act and the first national master plan for the space economy, he said.
The Office of the Council of State is vetting the draft of the space business law jointly proposed by the National Digital Economy and Society Commission and the National Space Policy Commission.
The bill and the master plan cover the space economy ecosystem with policies, direction of industry promotion and support to ensure benefits to the overall economy and the private sector related to geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites, medium-Earth orbit and LEO satellites.
Late last year the NBTC board approved the partnership of NT and Eutelsat OneWeb to provide satellite broadband internet service in international territories under NT's landing rights.
However, the approval has yet to cover the service offering in the local market.
Eutelsat OneWeb is part of the Eutelsat Group, the world's first integrated GEO-LEO integrated satellite communications operator.
The NT-Eutelsat OneWeb partnership officially launched the satellite network portal gateway service via OneWeb's LEO satellites in January 2025, with system testing in December last year to ensure maximum service quality.
NT president Col Sanphachai Huvanandana earlier said Eutelsat OneWeb and NT have collectively invested over US$25 million in local infrastructure to make Eutelsat OneWeb services possible in Thailand and the region. The service launch in Thailand is awaiting NBTC approval.
The gateway facility is expected to support over 50,000 users in Southeast Asia, except Thailand, within its first year of operation.
This partnership is a part of NT's foray into the space economy.
Col Sanphachai said NT expects revenue stream from providing the facilities to OneWeb's LEO communication service of at least 200 million baht per year.
The gateway facility is located at the state enterprise's Sirindhorn satellite earth station in Ubon Ratchathani province.
Previously, Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said the space economy national master plan aimed to promote the space economy ecosystem in the long term. The master plan covers 2023-37.
According to the Geo-Informatics and Space Tech Development Agency, the market value of Thailand's space economy is expected to reach 300 billion by 2032.
