JasTel Network, the international gateway arm of Jasmine International Plc, is targeting a 50% increase in its revenue in 2010 to 1.2 billion baht.

The company also projects revenue of 1.5 billion baht in 2011 and 1.8 billion in 2012, buoyed by strong international broadband and application demand.

JasTel 's surge in revenue will be driven by new, mainly foreign, broadband internet-related businesses, said general manager Somchai Treerattananukool.

"We aim to promote Thailand as a regional ICT hub soon," he said."We aim to position ourselves as an Indochina hub service provider this year, with the aim of becoming an Asia-Pacific player in 2011 and an international network system integration provider in 2012."

JasTel 's revenue soared last year to 800 million baht, from 380 million in 2008 and 80 million in 2007.

The company has a 30% share in a market worth 4 billion baht. Its competitors include CAT Telecom, TOT Plc and True Corp.

JasTel currently has four licences from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC): ISP, international internet gateway and network provider type II and type III.

JasTel plans to spend from 800 million to 900 million baht this year to expand national internet switching, international internet gateways (IIG) and overseas POP to accommodate an expected rise in customers, said Mr Somchai.

The company is in talks with foreign partners on a consortium venture to build a submarine cable facility in Songkhla province, with JasTel seeking an investment of 400 million to 500 million baht. Negotiations over the submarine cable project will be settled next year and investment would begin in 2012,said Mr Somchai.

JasTel is also in talks with the broadband satellite operator O3b Networks of United States on the possibility of becoming a satellite uplink wholesaler in Thailand, he added.

Mr Somchai expects mobile broadband demand to soar once 3G service materialises. The company has already built a 40-gigabyte IIG network capacity to accommodate 3G.

Jasmine International shares (JAS)closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 50 satang, unchanged, in trade worth 21.8 million baht.