Thailand's CAT Telecom Taps Actility to power rollout of national-wide IoT network

Actility has announced that Thailand’s CAT Telecom has selected the ThingPark Wireless LPWA connectivity platform to power a national IoT communication network rollout across the country, beginning with a smart city solution for Phuket, soon to be followed by Bangkok.

Actility is partnered with local system integrator and communication network specialist Teo Hong Silom Group to support the deployment and scale-up of the network.

Colonel Sanpachai Huvanandana, President of CAT Telecom, explains: “CAT Telecom is determined to develop a LoRaWAN network to support IoT services in line with the Government’s Thaliand 4.0 agenda. The key factors in developing true smart cities, such as we are pioneering with the city of Phuket, are infrastructure and services. These smart services will include Smart Metering, Smart Buildings, Smart Lighting, Smart Parking, Smart Farming, Smart Logistics and Smart Tourism. These services require a data communication infrastructure which covers a long distance, uses low energy and cuts the operating cost, all of which are major advantages of the LoRaWAN wireless network.”

Olivier Hersent, CEO of Actility, comments: “We’re very proud that our platform has been selected by CAT Telecom. This is a big win for Actility, demonstrating once again that ThingPark Wireless is the preferred solution for national commercial IoT network rollouts worldwide. We’re delighted to welcome CAT Telecom to the community of over 50 operators already using ThingPark-powered networks to support innovation in IoT applications and services. We’re also glad to be able to help CAT encourage innovation with a developer platform and a series of hackathons across the country.”

Wisut Kaewbangkapom, Deputy General Manager ICT Solutions Business of Teo Hong Silom Co., Ltd (THS), comments: “We are excited and inspired by being a part of this project. We are confident and ready to deliver innovative solutions to CAT Telecom, to stimulate IoT activities and benefit everyone nationwide”.

CAT has also launched a ‘LoRaWAN IoT by CAT (Thai link)’ platform to support the commercial sector in developing and innovative industrial IoT services. Currently the company is testing a tracking service combining GPS and IoT communications enabling cars, motorbikes, dump trucks and coaches to be tracked across the province.

In Phuket the service is supporting tourism, with a speed-boat businesses deploying the tracking technology to ensure the safety of their customers by installing trackers on their boats and providing tracking wristbands for their customers.

CAT is also working with its alliance partners to support the smart tourism campaign through the Smart Phuket 4.0 mobile application, ‘Beacon’ devices that accurately inform tourists and foreigners in the province about product deals and tourist attractions, and ‘Digital Signage’ locating restaurants, tourist spots, accommodation, hospitals and the locations of key governmental offices.

“In the future, the information on the behaviours and activities of tourists will be aggregated by a Big Data Platform”, adds Colonel Huvanandana. “It will greatly benefit the business owners and city administration in. They will be able to perform deep analysis of consumer behaviour, and also improve the quality of life and the safety of the local citizens, improve all aspects of city management in all aspects and make Phuket a world class smart city.”

CAT Telecom will use its learnings from the Phuket project to create a transferrable business model and technical solutions to accelerate the deployment of Smart Cities in 18 provinces across Thailand, including the Bangkok region, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Nan, Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok, Prachinburi, Songkhla, Surat Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, Maha Sarakham, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani and Nakhon Pathom. and the three provinces in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), namely Chonburi, Rayong and Chachoengsao.