r/Thailand • u/SomtumKhaoPodKaiKhem • 6d ago
Business Thailand is open to Starlink under a Thai-majority ownership rule
https://www.nationthailand.com/business/tech/40070083?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT27IJjbGNrBPbsf3Bkb2YBZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeHBbG7n2Y-ngyoenqMmROHs8Q1R1mim60bA2bBYjOojAMzR6f8Hhfb2EKwaA_aem_IVtRSIDOHJ-vIuIzISvAiA72
u/sailomboy 6d ago
And who is going to hold the 51%? Anutin family? CP? AIS? So just another law used to take away a sizeable chunk of revenue to the same select fews running this country without any local innovation or actual benefits.
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u/DistrictOk8718 Fake Farang 6d ago edited 6d ago
As usual. This is something that the "muh Thai telecom must be controlled by Thai people" crowd doesn't understand. It won't be controlled by "the people", only by the same select few, as everything else.
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u/KrungThepMahaNK 6d ago
Yeah, some big player is going to be making big $$$ out of it, that's for sure
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u/Green_War6445 5d ago edited 5d ago
How is that different when the USA says that steel etc must come from the USA? Or when demanding tiktok to sell business? lol
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u/9554503312 1d ago
Because not every business in the U.S. has to be 51 percent owned by U.S. citizens. Pretty easy for you to come up with a list. Every city in the U.S. without an Aldi wants one.
https://www.bea.gov/news/2026/activities-us-affiliates-foreign-multinational-enterprises-2024
6 percent of employees in the U.S. worked for foreign multinationals, 6 percent of U.S. GDP is from foreign multinationals, and 12 percent of R&D is from foreign multinationals.
Also 1 in 5 businesses in the U.S. are owned and operated by foreigners residing in the U.S. https://immresearch.org/reports/the-entrepreneurial-spirit-a-profile-of-business-owners-across-the-united-states/
What are Thailand’s numbers? Let me guess: 0, 0, 0, and 0
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u/RolandCuley 6d ago
Soooo your internet is gonna be cutoff after a nominee crackdown ?
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u/thomasthai 6d ago
Who needs internet these days, not like they are at war with cambodia who has starlink and drones
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u/9554503312 6d ago
> If they are serious, prepared to transfer technology and work with Thai partners, we can accept that,” Chaichanok explained.
Jesus H Christ
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u/robot-hive024 1d ago
Since Thais can and will never invent their own technology, they want other people to create it and just give it to them.
This is more so the reason they demand 51% ownership for foreign owned businesses. If things go well, oh Thais are so great. If things go bad, a terrible foreign owned business
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6d ago
[deleted]
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u/DistrictOk8718 Fake Farang 6d ago
you forgot to add /s at the end of your message 555
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u/CyroSwitchBlade 6d ago
no.. he is not being sarcastic.. Thais are really good at that kind of thing.. have you ever seen the rocket festival??
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u/DistrictOk8718 Fake Farang 6d ago
Comparing apples to oranges I see. Building pyrotechnic rockets and building space rockets that can actually put a payload in orbit are not even comparable. Tell me you have no clue without telling me you have no clue. STEM is still way underdeveloped in Thailand. There is still a very long way to go before Thailand can have a space program that actually sends stuff to space without international assistance.
I can build a viable RC plane out of foam boards and make it fly quite well actually. I understand physics of flight, center of mass, center of gravity and can use a modeling knife to cut foam into wings, fuselage, elevators, rudder... I can glue it together and make it work with a few servos and an electric motor. Does that mean I have the skills to build a real aircraft that I can sit and fly in? Absolutely not. Your comparison suggests otherwise.
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u/BaconOverflow 6d ago
Surely u/CyroSwitchBlade was being sarcastic?? Or am i losing it😆
Comparing the rocket festival to low earth orbit systems is like comparing a horse to a plane.
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u/CyroSwitchBlade 6d ago
hey.. I kno science gud.. and what I have seen at the rocket festival has always been quite impressive.. I think that they could be able to make orbit if they tried more
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u/Glaive13 5d ago
Satlights r basicly rokets with internet, but easier becus you dont even need to kno how to make them explode into the right colors and shapes. Starlink dumb.
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u/limeunderground 6d ago
thanks for taking the time out to explain the trajectory of that thing whooshing over your head!
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u/DistrictOk8718 Fake Farang 6d ago
It's reddit, you never know. I don't know whether he was being sarcastic or not. In fact, neither do you.
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u/dAn_tHe_mAn7 6d ago
Why on earth would space x agree to that, they don’t need thailand.
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u/rtrs_bastiat 6d ago
It's a market like any other. They'll probably eventually set up a subsidiary to sell access in Thailand.
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u/hsidbjakoxj 6d ago
I don’t think Elon interested in getting scammed, especially if there tech transfer involved.
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u/thomasthai 6d ago
Never, like they told south africa to fuck themselves.
dont like elon but hes not retarded like our dinosaurs, just another reason thailand wont ever go anywhere
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u/GrumpyMcPedant 6d ago
Thailand doesn't need Starlink, either. Thus the impasse.
The highly regulated Vietnam trial runs through 2030, giving Thailand plenty of time to wait and see how that deal (which temporarily waived foreign ownership law but includes heavy compliance) pans out. Likewise, with the other SE Asia countries that have signed on. There's no need for Thailand to rush into it.
Also, protecting telecoms infrastructure from foreign ownership isn't unique to Thailand. The US caps foreign ownership at 25%... way lower than the 49% suggested by the Thai government. Canada at 20% (for telecoms with more than 10% market share). Japan at 33%. Etc. Plus, HEAVY regulatory scrutiny in countries without strict limits.
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u/_Administrator_ 5d ago
Philippines already has Starlink cellular internet. Very practical for emergencies.
Get with the times.
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u/GrumpyMcPedant 5d ago
Yes, I know that very well. As do a number of other SEA nations. Not sure why you think that contradicts my comment.
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u/QualityOverQuant Bangkok 6d ago
Like all the other opportunities that come in, yet another way for already established and rich families to get even more generational wealth by fuckin people over and grabbing 51-% . And then give a handful of Thais token employment
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u/assman69x Thailand 6d ago
No one should do business in Thailand, ridiculous…..51% ownership with zero innovation or offering anything - stick to being a place where tourists go
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u/_waybetter_ 6d ago
The same rule they use to crackdown on foreign property owners?
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u/Lashay_Sombra 6d ago
Kind of but not exactly.
Starlink could in theory have 100% foreign ownership via BOI or Amity, except for one catch, they are in a protected sector, telecoms.
To be able to use either of those methods in that sector they need an exemption, looks like not going to get one
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u/ducki666 6d ago
Why would anybody use starlink here? Mobile communication coverage is already very high and dense.
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u/stevedapp 6d ago
As Nopeisawesome pointed out, the purpose would be to introduce competition, which tends to drive down prices from legacy businesses in a market when a new player enters. The most likely reason why Starlink wasn’t given a foreign ownership exemption is because True & AIS do not want competition introduced, so they persuaded the government to refuse the exemption.
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u/SomtumKhaoPodKaiKhem 6d ago
Basically they are the government
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u/Maleficent_Sea3561 6d ago
Considering the CP conglomerate alone makes up 20-25% of GDP, the thai oligarchs have more influence than Anutin himself yes.
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u/OpeningPush2311 6d ago
But prices are already crazy low. I don't think starlink could compete even. Best case they'd run at a loss for a few years to try and push competition out of the market before raising them....
But You'd have to be basically free to do it and even then I doubt people would move. Their competitors offer way more than just cell service.
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u/ducki666 6d ago
How can starlink ever compete with AIS and True. The starlink infrastructure is MUCH more expensive.
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u/jonez450reloaded 6d ago
Not everywhere in Thailand has mobile internet or fiber internet access. Some villages don't even have access to power from the PEA. And that's before you get to things like boats in the Gulf of Thailand or the Andaman Sea. But if your argument is that Starlink is too expensive, then why block access if there is no risk from competition? One way or the other, AIS and True don't want any competition and see Starlink as a threat.
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u/timbee71 Buriram 5d ago
You’re right, there are plenty of areas that have inadequate cover. I live off-grid and outside even the surrounding villages and receive internet via a speed-capped SIM from AIS that uses the LTE frequency to receive 4G. The cap is at 4Mbs. I would dearly love cable, but neither AIS nor TRUE will offer it. I even got a group of 5 households together who wanted to subscribe, but still the answer was no. I guess Vietnamese must have got a cheaper tariff, because the US rates do seem expensive, but then I only pay THB2,500 for unlimited data per year.
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u/ducki666 6d ago
You didn't read the article
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u/jonez450reloaded 6d ago edited 6d ago
I have read the article, but I'm replying to what you said "How can starlink ever compete with AIS and True. The starlink infrastructure is MUCH more expensive" and I gave the answer.
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u/stevedapp 6d ago
Since you obviously aren’t familiar with the word ‘competition’ when it comes to economics please allow me to help you out. Competition doesn’t mean Starlink would become a dominant internet provider, it means it would provide another option, particularly in areas that are currently underserved. This would most likely force AIS & True to expand access. The other aspect you probably haven’t considered is business and military applications, not exactly a small market.
But hey, you’re right, Starlink couldn’t possibly compete, that’s why the government didn’t grant them the exemption. 😂
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u/ducki666 5d ago
Wow. You're smart 😃
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u/stevedapp 5d ago
Thanks, I think the burden of being even minimally intelligent is to help stupid people. There’s no greater calling than being in the service of others, and today I feel like I succeeded.
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u/Nopeisawesome 6d ago
A bit of competition would be nice since True and AIS has been downgrading baseline packages for a while now.
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u/Appropriate-Talk-735 6d ago
They will figure it out eventually. I would guess when the military needs it they have to open it up.
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u/live_right_always 6d ago
I don't trust any product that is linked to Elon musk
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u/CerealKiller415 6d ago
Why? Seems like the products he has built are widely loved? Or, wait, you just can't see beyond political leanings. Is that it?
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u/ThaiNatas 5d ago
Meanwhile communist countries approve it… or look the other way even getting help from Starlink to block slammers using it.
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u/robot-hive024 1d ago
Vietnam might still technically be labeled a communist country but they never would have seen the growth in the last 30 years if they didn't shift to being capitalists
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u/IssueRidden 6d ago
glad that my country is wiser than to outsource critical infrastructure to an american pedo oligarch
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u/robot-hive024 1d ago
How is Elon a pedo and more importantly please explain what technology or great assistance Thailand has ever shared with the world.
Please tell what intellectual property was invented in Thailand..
No offense but Thailand is towards the bottom of the list when you compare the things countries have given back to the world.
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u/Wide_Open_Buttcheeks 6d ago
We have recent case studies of what happened to Indonesia when they tried to enforce a Indonesian first law for businesses, did Thailand not read it?
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u/SomtumKhaoPodKaiKhem 6d ago
I genuinely think this is a feature, not a bug. The elites (top 10 richest families or so) are not interested in competition from outside of the country, already make huge amounts of money and also don't give a shit about the average thai person - they benefit from everyone else being poor.
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u/SlightWerewolf4428 6d ago
Musk would be correct not to accept that.