AIS Teams Up with ZTE to Build the First High-level 5G Network in Thailand

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ZTE Corporation, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the mobile internet, today announced that it has signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Advanced Info Service Plc. (AIS), Thailand's number one digital service provider.

According to the agreement, ZTE will be AIS' comprehensive strategic partner to upgrade key technologies such as 5G to enhance network quality and deliver excellent user experiences to AIS customers, while developing innovations to put Thailand at the forefront of the digital economy.

ZTE, with great commitment to upgrading the AIS 5G network to be an autonomous network capable of precise autonomous network management during the processing of big data and AI, will also be poised to expand AIS' 5G capabilities for different industries, bolstered with ZTE's specialized innovation expertise that has already been globally successful. This will enable Thai industries to grow massively through the deployment of digital transformation.

Also, AIS and ZTE will launch Thailand's first "A-Z Center" (5G Innovation Center) as a hub for research collaborations and joint 5G innovations, for both infrastructure and solutions, to boost growth in sectors such as the 5G applications in industry verticals. The Center is due be completed by Q3 this year.

"We are a digital life service provider that focuses on unlocking digital tech such as 5G, a vital piece of infrastructure to enhance the country's capabilities in the digital economy," said Somchai Lertsutiwong, CEO of AIS. "This brings us the potential for our investments to deliver a wide variety of experiences and smart services to AIS customers, the Thai public and a range of industrial sectors."

"We have always been confident that 5G will become a key variable in the near future to affect transformation, from consumer behavior to social contexts, and the growth of Thailand's digital economy." added Somchai Lertsutiwong.

"ZTE, as one of the global leaders in 5G, truly believes that 5G is driving the development of the verticals and the digital transformation of industries," said Mr. Xu Ziyang, CEO of ZTE Corporation. "We will continue to innovate in 5G technical solutions and applications, and work with AIS to jointly explore the huge potential of 5G networks in the digital economy era."

AIS is currently the only provider to persist in expanding its 5G network to cover all 77 provinces of Thailand, reaching 78% of the population. Aimed to grow the number to 85% within this year, AIS has continued to work with world-class partners like ZTE to jointly develop innovations.

In March 2022, AIS, Qualcomm and ZTE announced the world's first 5G NR-DC (New Radio Dual Connectivity) showcase in the field with 2.6GHz and 26GHz, achieving 8.5Gbps peak downlink speed and 2.17Gbps peak uplink speed with a single mobile device. As part of the joint effort, this collaboration combines two major 5G frequency bands, Sub-6 and 5G mmWave, to enhance the capabilities of Thailand's 5G network and extend the 5G application landscape.

Also, in May 2021, AIS, ZTE and Suranaree University of Technology collaborated to trial the 5G Smart Factory. This supports personnel to gain expertise in AI, Cloud, IoT, VR and AR. Then, the skills can be applied to develop solutions for the manufacturing sector, most particularly in the northeast of Thailand.