Thai telco True Corp announced that it has completed its project to integrate the networks of True and dtac, around two and a half years after both companies merged into a single operator.
Following the merger’s completion in February 2023, True began the work of consolidating the base station towers and spectrum bands of both networks. The “One Network” project (previously called “Single Grid”) aimed to reduce redundant towers without reducing the total number of base stations, maximise efficiency, enhance 5G and 4G coverage, and lay the foundation for future technologies.
True said a key aspect of the project was its spectrum pooling strategy, which enables customers of both True and dtac to seamlessly share network resources, resulting in stronger signal quality, faster speeds, and more consistent performance across Thailand.
The One Network project also enables full 90-MHz bandwidth utilization of the 2600-MHz band for 5G, supported by dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology, which allows flexible use between 5G and 4G on the same band. True kicked off deployment of DSS this past July in the upscale Thonglor district of Bangkok.
True is also using new spectrum it acquired in Thailand’s spectrum auction in June to boost its unified network. It is enhancing its 2300-MHz spectrum to increase data capacity, and will be combine that with its 2600-MHz spectrum for expanded 5G deployment.
True will also use the new 1500-MHz band spectrum it acquired in June to deliver faster, stronger, and more stable 5G and 4G experiences nationwide.
True said that while the project has significantly improved 5G coverage and performance for both True and dtac customers, the latter group has benefited the most from the project, with 5G speeds increasing by 4.39 times on the 2600-MHz band, while True customers have seen a 1.09 times improvement. True customers are also experiencing improved 4G efficiency on the 2300-MHz band, the telco said.
True also said that by reducing redundant towers and improving power efficiency through AI and machine learning, it expects to reduce carbon emissions by 15-20% as part of its goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030.
True Corp group CEO Sigve Brekke claimed the project was the largest network modernization effort in the ASEAN region, with more than 3,650 engineers and technicians working every day over the last two and a half years and contributing over 17 million man-hours.
“Behind the achievement, we have witnessed an extraordinary collective effort from our network experts teaming up with global technology partners to ensure the best possible digital experiences of all customers,” he said in a statement.
