Exploring new frontiers

In the early 1990s, as second generation (2G) mobile technology was flickering to life, a young engineer named Patompob “Nile” Suwansiri stood at a crossroads. Fresh out of engineering college in New Zealand, Nile hadn’t planned to return to Thailand. But the lure of satellites, rockets and the promise of building something transformative for his homeland proved irresistible.

We are using technology to create value for the greater good of the country.Patompob Suwansiri

Three decades later, Nile sits at the helm of Thaicom, Thailand’s flagship satellite operator and a regional space tech innovator. At the company’s 34th anniversary, he rallied his 300 employees, saying: “We are using technology to create value for the greater good of the country.” But in a country where technological advantage is fleeting and global competition is fierce, can good intentions keep Thaicom in orbit?

Thaicom, a leading Asian satellite operator and space technology company, operates in a rapidly growing market. According to Grand View Research, the satellite communication market in Asia Pacific is expected to double from 21.4 billion US dollars in 2024 to 39.7 billion US dollars by 2030.

The region’s mountains, islands, and vast rural expanses are blind spots for terrestrial telephone connectivity. It is in these blind spots that Thaicom is making a deep impact. Its last annual report cites the story of a person from a remote Thai village whose son was saved because he could call an ambulance in time.

Additionally, projects such as “Technology for Lifelong Education”, supports online education by providing high-speed internet access to people in remote areas where mobile phone signals are inaccessible. Under this initiative, in 2024, over 6,000 people and 1,620 households benefited from satellite internet.

Terrestrial internet connectivity will keep increasing, but it will never reach 100 percent. And consumers everywhere will keep increasing their demand for broadband connectivity.

Alongside satellite broadband, broadcasting is another of Thaicom’s traditional businesses, which, when combined, contribute around 90 percent to the company’s top line. Nile considers this business Thaicom’s “bread and butter.”

But as user preference shifts from satellite television, to streaming services, which are accessible almost anywhere, with an internet connection and a portable device such as a mobile phone, the question remains: will this business mix continue to work for Thaicom? Nile thinks so. “Terrestrial internet connectivity will keep increasing, but it will never reach 100 percent. And consumers everywhere will keep increasing their demand for broadband connectivity.”

At the same time, Nile has begun trying to reshape Thaicom’s revenue mix. He sees a significant opportunity in space technology, particularly in geospatial intelligence. This means using innovative technologies like artificial intelligence and data analytics to gain actionable insights from Earth observation satellites.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates the Earth Observation industry will surpass USD 700 billion by 2030, with the Asia-Pacific region expected to capture over 40 percent of this. The WEF estimates that these insights and subsequent interventions could cut global greenhouse gas emissions by over two gigatons of greenhouse gases annually, which equates to approximately 3.6 percent of annual global emissions today.

Over the past few years, Thaicom has been active in seizing this opportunity. Its “Earth Insights” programme has been using satellite sensor data to provide several benefits to society in areas such as farming and climate change.

Explaining its use in insurance claims from farmers, Nile explains, “Traditionally, insurance claims for disasters like floods or droughts involved farmers taking pictures, insurance companies verifying the paperwork before finally settling claims in about six months. Now, by analysing satellite imagery, we can swiftly confirm which plots are actually affected. This not only enables faster and more reliable payouts but also moves Thailand’s insurance industry toward a more data-driven model.” Out of the 10 million hectares of rice paddies in Thailand, Thaicom has covered 2 million hectares.

Another example is the CarbonWatch platform, which provides a scientific alternative to carbon credit measurement. Prior to using satellite data, people would need to go to a part of a forest to take measurements of trees and extrapolate that to measure carbon absorption. Now, by analysing satellite data, they can cover millions of hectares and provide insights with over 90 percent accuracy.

These efforts are paying off. Thaicom’s methodology is the first in Thailand to be certified by the country’s Greenhouse Gas Management Organisation under its voluntary emission reduction programme.

It has also received the “Highly Commended Sustainability Awards” category for Sustainability Excellence for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) from the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) and a “AAA rating” for the second consecutive year in the SET ESG Ratings for 2024, with the highest scores in the Information & Communication Technology sector.

Nile believes that the diverse business applications of Earth Insights could help change Thaicom’s revenue mix, contributing up to 30 percent in the coming years and reducing their reliance on the capex-intensive business of sending satellites into space. The path, however, may not be easy.

The primary consumer of satellite sensor data is governments, which can be slow to make decisions, Nile explains: “To win these contracts, we have to start with small proof-of-concept projects, gradually building trust and scaling up.” He is willing to be patient because the data they analyse is crucial for policy and decision-making. Since this data changes frequently due the underlying weather conditions, he adds: “I believe our clients will consider subscribing to our services, providing Thaicom with a recurring revenue stream.”

Alongside the government, Thaicom is also dependent on partnerships with private enterprises for its success. One example is its partnership with Paris-headquartered Eutelsat Communications for the THAICOM 10 satellite, which is expected to be launched in 2027. Deutsche Bank is a co-financier for this project, helping Thaicom secure a $184 million export credit facility.

Along with Eutelsat, Thaicom has partnerships with several global enterprises, such as the US’s SpaceX and India’s Hughes Communications India (HCI), for satellite launch and capacity leasing.

Alongside these partnerships, Nile is unequivocal that the government plays a crucial role in nurturing Thailand’s space economy sector. He advocates for a stronger research, development, and innovation environment in the country, which means developing human capital by investing at the high school and college level. He also cautions against overreliance on technology imports from abroad: “Otherwise, we just import everything, and at the end of the day, we're just like a broker.”

While the US and China will continue to dominate the overall satellite space, Nile believes that Thailand, and in turn Thaicom, can capitalise on the transformative potential of space technology. He sees his company at the starting line with global peers. “If Thailand is serious about it, then we can be a major player on the world stage. With the right mix of policy support, strategic investment, and a focus on building local expertise, we can leapfrog into a new era of innovation and sustainable growth.”