Jasmine International Plc, an integrated communications service provider, is spearheading its broadband business into the arena of internet protocol television (IPTV) with a planned commercial launch in October.

The company is also preparing to provide online games and voice over IP to add multi-service channels to its existing 300,000 broadband subscribers.

The moves are part of the group's policy to shift its focus to broadband-based services and make broadband its new flagship business by 2010.

CEO Pete Bodharamik said Jasmine was now ready to move aggressively into broadband-based businesses by bundling its services with those of its associated company TT&T Plc.

''We want to take our products and services to the mass market, targeting the modern lifestyle,'' he said.

The IPTV services, to be operated through its subsidiary Triple T Broadband Co, provide what he claimed to be the first-of-its-kind high-definition set-top boxes, priced below 3,000 baht each, featuring 30 free channels, video streaming, video and karaoke on demand, interactive contents and internet browsing.

Mr Pete said the company's IPTV service had high potential to become a mass market, given its strong network nationwide and no redundancies in the services provided by the group's companies, unlike True Corp's True IPTV and pay-TV TrueVisions.

Mr Pete also said that Jasmine was on the verge of increasing its broadband capacity from the current 50,000 ports to 700,000 ports by 2010 under a 3.5-billion-baht investment scheme.

The company is also spending up to 100 million baht to increase the number of its WiFi hotspots to 10,000 locations by the end of this year, with an additional 200 million baht to build 50 outlets and kiosks.

He said Jasmine was in talks with the mobile operators Advanced Info Service (AIS) and DTAC to introduce an affordable WiFi service under a buffet concept. It expects to have at least 100,000 customers.

The company is now ready to move ahead with its WiMax commercial service plan under a one-billion-baht scheme, pending licences from the National Telecommunications Commission.

Mr Pete also said that Jasmine had no financial problem funding its new investment projects. The company has three billion baht in debts, and cash flow of 4.3 billion baht.

Jasmine expects six billion baht in revenue this year, up from four billion last year. The company targets revenue to grow by between 30% and 40% in 2009, driven mainly by broadband.

He said the company expected to have a total of 500,000 broadband customers by the end of this year, up from 300,000 currently. The figure is projected to top one million by 2010.

Jasmine is modernising to refresh its organisation after more than two decades in the business.

As part of the company's product synergy plan, TT&T is relocating all of its 100-plus employees from the Muang Thai Phatra Building to Jasmine Tower.

In another development, TT&T yesterday announced the resignation of president Prachuab Tantinond, effective from Aug 31.