Mobile leader Advanced Info Service (AIS) is ushering in a new age of mobile cloud computing and data centre business to capitalise on an increasingly networked society and create lucrative new revenue streams.
The requirement for data centre capacity will continue to grow, driven by factors such as vast increases in data volume as well as changing business processes and IT paradigms, said Hui Weng Cheong, chief operating officer of AIS.
Thailand's cloud service market is expected to reach 3.5 billion baht this year, surging to 6.5 billion by 2020, he said.
"We aim to grab a 30% share of the cloud market over the next two years, thanks to our large enterprise customer base," Mr Hui said, adding that 50% of enterprise customers in the local mobile market use AIS's mobile network.
The major cloud players in Thailand include Internet Thailand Co, True Corporation, CS Loxinfo, CAT Telecom and NTT Communication.
"We aim to become a top-three player in the local cloud market by 2018," Mr Hui said.
AIS yesterday unveiled a series of cloud-powered services for enterprises to usher in a new era of digital transformation in the cloud.
A back office that does not generate revenue is no longer worth the investment for most corporations.
With AIS's abundant resources of cellular digital infrastructure, the company can provide cloud-powered, enterprise-grade solutions to serve all businesses embarking on a digital transformation, Mr Hui said.
AIS has 58,000 base stations on various low-band and high-band spectrum networks, plus a fibre-optic broadband network in 12 major provinces nationwide and six data centres in six provinces.
"We are confident we can provide cloud-powered tools that can serve all aspects of customer demand," Mr Hui said.
AIS has collaborated with global technology companies such as Microsoft, VMware, NetApp and Check Point to provide cloud services including infrastructure as a service, a highly automated IT operations management, and software as a service where consumers can access software applications over the internet, and cloud managed services.
