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What
is Jasmines mission?
- To create
high returns for our shareholders and exceptional benefits
for our customers by becoming Thailands leading
provider of Internet Protocol (IP) based telecoms services.
What
is IP and why is it so important?
- It is a
common global standard for transmitting information around
the world electronically. It is important because it is
allows data, voice and multimedia to be transmitted very
efficiently over the same network and at much lower cost
than over conventional networks. It is one of the major
factors driving the amazing growth of the Internet and
the World Wide Web and it is revolutionising the whole
telecoms industry.
What
are Jasmines current activities and how will this
change?
- Jasmine
is one of Thailands leading builders and operators
of telecom networks. For example we built and now operate
the Jasmine Submarine Cable that provides an extremely
high capacity fibre optic link around Thailands
coastline using the latest technology. We also built and
operate a nationwide rural telephone network using satellite
technology. We also provide other telecoms services to
corporate customers throughout Thailand. We have substantial
shareholdings in two associate companies: Thai
Telephone and Telecommunication (TT&T) (33.69%) who
have 1.5 million telephone subscribers throughout Thailand
and Internet
KSC (37.5%) Thailands leading Internet access
provider with over 200,000 users.
- We will
continue to build and operate key components of Thailands
telecom infrastructure. These activities are very profitable
for us. But we will seek to integrate these into a very
modern nationwide IP network over which we can provide
a wide range of telecom services including Internet access,
data and voice communications. This migration of our activities
into the IP area provides us with enormous potential for
profitable growth.
Can
you explain the full scope of your IP based business in
the future?
Firstly,
IP Network Infrastructure.
Using existing assets such as
the Jasmine Submarine Cable, and Acumen satellite network,
in conjunction with other strategically placed network
assets under our control we will assemble the most comprehensive
IP network in Thailand. We will provide the highest quality
transport network for IP data within Thailand and between
Thailand and overseas. Our customers will include international
carriers wishing to terminate IP traffic in Thailand as
well as local customers including our own IP Solutions
business.
IP
Solutions. This division will provide a full range of IP based
communications solutions to corporate customers including,
IP Virtual Private Networks, Voice and Fax over IP, and
Internet access. Customers will also include Internet
access providers (ISPs) including our own full service
ISP division.
Internet
Access / Web Applications.
This division will seek to be
Thailands largest Internet access provider with
over half a million users within three years. But it will
also provide a full range of Web based services to both
corporate and residential customers, including for example
Web hosting, E-commerce, special event web broadcasting,
etc.
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What
are the key factors driving change in the telecommunications
industry in Thailand over the next few years:
- The 1997
currency crisis that has depleted demand and significantly
weakened the financial strength of all the industry incumbents
(i.e. high debt burden)
- Due to World
Trade Organizations requirements, Thailand will
have to privatize its two state-owned telecommunication
companies (TOT and CAT) in the coming few years as well
as to fully liberalize the industry by the year 2006.
- Globalization
of the capital market
- Globalization
of the telecommunications industry
- Increasing
pace of new technology introduction
What
would be the likely impact(s) of these factors on the industry?
These powerful
forces would likely lead to:
- Entrance
into the market of new and aggressive national/global
players with innovative and superior customer value proposition
leveraging either their leading-edge technologies, their
well-established marketing know-how and/or their important
financial strengths
- Higher performance
requirements for telecom companies to meet higher global
return on investments hurdles
- Possible
mergers between existing players to form more powerful
groups.
How
do you see Jasmine being affected by these factors and what
moves will you make?
Rather than
a threat, we see the industry shake up as a unique window
of opportunity to grow into a really competitive leading
Thai telecom player in the next 3 5 years. We will
aggressively but soundly restructure our asset base as well
as strengthen our financial and human resources:
We aim to:
- rapidly
embrace cutting-edge technologies to provide superior
products/services for our clients (e.g. IP-based businesses)
- Transforming
ourselves into an attractive Thai partner to leading
global telecommunications players with complementary
value-added skills and asset base
- Take advantage
of the liberalization process to enter new areas of
business (e.g. Voice over IP, international communication
links, etc.)
Which
are currently the most valuable parts of your business portfolio?
- Today the
largest value contributors to the group are Acumen and
JSTC. In both of these activities, Jasmine is receiving
from TOT steady flows of income from the management and
maintenance of the satellite and submarine cables.
How
much additional value would you create for your shareholders
through your new growth strategy?
- We aim at
multiplying current value by 3 or 4 times within three
years.
What
new activities are creating the most additional value?
- The most
important in the short term will be our ISP business which
we expect to contribute approximately two-third of the
additional value, the balance will come from the IP Networks
and the IP Solutions
How
would you go about implementing this ambitious strategy?
To
achieve this ambitious objective, we will:
- Gradually
divest all our current peripheral and non-core activities
but at only the best value for our shareholders. This
includes but not restricts to our holdings in telecom
activities in the regional markets (India, Philippines,
Indonesia, etc.)
- Sustain
as much as possible our lucrative cash-generator businesses,
i.e. our engineering turnkey operations (JTS) as well
as our management of the TDMA satellite network, the rural
telephone network (Acumen)
and the sub-marine
cable operations (JSTC).
- Raise an
additional amount of approximately US$ 100 millions to
strengthen our corporate balance sheet as well as to invest
in the high growth IP-based businesses
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What
are the major elements of your IP-based investment strategy?
Part of the
additional money raised will be used to
- Secure/strengthen
our access to the IP-backbone network so as to ensure
our high quality service level to our customers.
- Aggressively
build our ISP business through a combination of selective
acquisitions and well-structured alliances/partnerships
with leading-edge national and global Web services/contents
providers.
- Invest heavily
in deepening our understanding of the needs and buying
behaviors of the corporate segment, our traditionally
strong customer base as well as in the acquisition and
retention of the retail segment (market research, customer
surveys, focus groups, etc.)
- Invest heavily
in the design, marketing, promotion and sales of our new
and unique IP-based products/services to match the needs
and buying behaviors of each of our targeted customers
- Invest in
the acquisition of skills required to build a customer/IP
network centric company. This includes but not restricts
to large-scale recruitment of retail marketing talents
and IP specialists, acquisition of specialized boutique
firms, etc.
- Build our
Jasmine name into a corporate as well as household brand
names
What
are the current key strengths Jasmine can leverage to successfully
implement its new IP-based strategy?
We
can effectively leverage the following key assets:
- Our excellent
expertise in various telecommunication technologies (fixed
lines, satellite, wireless, etc.)
- Our unmatched
track record in successfully designing, building, operating
and maintaining complex telecommunication networks and
systems.
- Our privileged
access to multiple customer bases leading to attractive
cross-marketing and selling opportunities, e.g.
- Large
and loyal customer base in the large corporate segment
from Acumen. We should be able to extend additional
products/services offerings to these large corporations
and financial institutions. We could also offer our
products/services to their employees, dealers, suppliers
and customers.
- Large
retail and/or corporate customer base of our traditional
business partners (TT&T, TOT, KSC)
- Our strategic
ownership and/or management of key telecommunication assets,
vital for the IP-based businesses, e.g.
- KSC
for the ISP business.
- TT&T,
Acumen and JSTC
for the access to the IP backbone networks
- JSTC
for the international communication links,
- TT&T
for the Internet telephony,
- Our proven
ability to navigate through the administration and/or
to influence the outcomes of the Thai telecommunication
industry in the coming years.
- Our deep
understanding of the players of the Thai telecommunication
industry
What
would be the key implementation challenges your organization
will face?
We will have
to overcome the following implementation challenges to achieve
our ambition:
- Transforming
our technical culture into a marketing and customer-driven
culture. Our leadership team strongly believes in the
future strategic directions and is committed to lead the
required cultural transformation of Jasmine group. Enthusiastic
and capable change leaders will be nominated at pivotal
positions in our organization.
- Attracting
and retaining critical resources, especially high caliber
executives in the marketing, retailing and sales arenas.
Best practices in human resources management will be implemented.
- Acquiring
and/or structuring alliances/partnerships fast enough
to build our IP-based businesses.
- Integrating
new businesses entities into a coherent telecom group.
How
critical would be a strategic partner in the success of
your strategy?
- A strategic
partner would be speeding up the implementation pace of
our strategy. However, its success will certainly not
depend exclusively in the existence of the strategic partner.
What
would be the ideal profile of the strategic partner?
Any partner
with a strategic intent to expand into the Thai telecom
industry and bringing the following values to us would be
welcome:
- Excellent
expertise and proven track record in the IP-based business;
- Strong and
sound financial resources;
- Excellent
marketing and retail skills;
- Global reach;
In
case new funds are coming in, how low in ownership would
the family-owner be willing to go?
- If a new
investor is bringing significant value-added to improve
the total value of the group (e.g. a strategic partner),
the family-owner is willing to release a fair amount of
its ownership for the benefit of all the shareholders
of the company.
What
was the purpose of issuing the 333 million warrants? And
how this has impacted existing shareholders and/or will
impact future shareholders?
- The issue
of the 333 million warrants is aimed at improving liquidity
to the share trading. It should not impact the interest
of existing and/or future shareholders. All shareholders
were and will be treated on a fair and equal basis.
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