CAT Telecom now has a full board of directors comprising 15 members compared with 11 previously.

The four new members are: Wallop Polythamthim, permanent secretary to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Resource Security; Chawan Sawasdi Xuto, deputy director of the SME Promotion Office; Attasit Damrongrat, an adviser to the finance minister; and Raksak Visavaplanont, secretary to the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) minister.

ICT Minister Ranongruk Suwunchwee reportedly told the cabinet that she wanted four new directors because CAT was a big organisation that needed supervision by a large board.

However, an industry source said that the appointment of Mr Raksak signalled political interference in the state telecom enterprise.

The new CAT board met two days ago to review business performance, which has showed declines in most areas.

Concession revenues have been particularly hard hit because of lower revenues for some operators in the slowing economy, the source said.

CAT earns 65% of its revenues from concession agreements, with the mobile operators DTAC and True Move the main contributors.

International direct dialling (IDD) business, meanwhile, continues to decline as more individual and corporate customers turn increasingly to cheaper internet-based services. Revenues from international calls were 5.37 billion baht last year, off 28% from a year earlier.

The board also considered the branding of CAT Telecom. It said that CAT did little in terms of public relations and approved a budget to promote its brand through various media.

CAT is also searching for a new president to fill the post that has been vacant since early this year. Seven applicants will make presentations to the selection committee on Monday and it will propose a candidate to the board for approval on June 24.