View source for Advanced Info Service

{{Short description|Thai telecommunications company}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Advanced Info Service Co., Ltd.
| logo = Advanced_Info_Service_logo-en.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| caption = 
| type = [[Public limited company|Public]]
| traded_as = {{SET|ADVANC}}
| fate = 
| predecessor = 
| successor = 
| founder = [[Thaksin Shinawatra]]
| foundation = {{start date and age|1986|04|24|df=yes}}<ref name="0956-1">{{cite book|title=Annual Registration Statements 2009|year=2010|url=http://investor.ais.co.th/FileUpload/Editor/DocumentUpload/WebContent/56-1/56-1%202552.pdf|author=Advanced Info Service|language=th|access-date=23 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722002414/http://investor.ais.co.th/FileUpload/Editor/DocumentUpload/WebContent/56-1/56-1%202552.pdf|archive-date=22 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| key_people = {{ubl|[[Vithit Leenutaphong]] (Chairman)|[[Somchai Lertsutiwong]] (CEO)}}
| location = [[Phaya Thai District|Phaya Thai]], [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]]<ref name="AIS-Contact">{{cite web |title=Contact us |url=http://www.ais.co.th/aboutais/en/index.html#Contact |website=Advanced Info Service PLC |access-date=2019-01-01 |archive-date=25 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725002434/http://www.ais.co.th/aboutais/en/index.html#Contact |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| locations = 
| area_served = [[Thailand]]
| industry = [[Telecommunications]]
| products = [[Mobile network]], [[Internet service provider]], [[Internet TV]]
| services = [[Mobile telephony]], [[Internet]]
| revenue = {{increase}} 180.89 billion [[Thai baht|baht]] (2019)<ref name="AIS">{{cite web |title=ADVANC: ADVANCED INFO SERVICE PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED: Financial data |url=https://investor.ais.co.th/misc/ar/20200228-advanc-ar2019-en.pdf |website=AIS |access-date=2021-01-23}}</ref>
| operating_income = {{increase}} 37.40 billion baht (2019)<ref name =AIS/>
| net_income = {{increase}} 31.19 billion baht (2019)<ref name =AIS/>
| assets = {{decrease}} 289.67 billion baht (2019)<ref name =AIS/>
| equity = {{increase}} 69.39 billion baht (2019)<ref name =AIS/>
| owner = 
| num_employees = 10,586+ (2013)<ref>[http://investor.ais.co.th/en/Corporate-Governance-HR.html Staff & Human Resource Development] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120152409/http://investor.ais.co.th/en/Corporate-Governance-HR.html |date=20 November 2015 }} Investor Site – AIS</ref>
| parent = [[Intouch Holdings]]
| divisions = 
| subsid = Triple T Broadband (3BB)<br>JASIF (Jasmine Broadband Internet Infrastructure Fund) (19%)
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.ais.th/en/}}
| footnotes = 
}}
'''Advanced Info Service Co., Ltd. ''' ('''AIS''') is [[Thailand]]'s largest [[GSM]] [[mobile phone operator]] with 39.87 million customers as of Q3 2016.<ref>{{cite news|title=AIS to double 3G users|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/AIS-to-double-3G-users-next-year-30165832.html|work=The Nation|access-date=12 September 2012|author=Sirivish Toomgum|date=September 2011|archive-date=8 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608103533/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/AIS-to-double-3G-users-next-year-30165832.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=May 2018}} Founded in April 1986, AIS started off as a computer rental business.<ref>Job TopGun,[http://www.jobtopgun.com/content/profile/ais900/index.jsp?id_emp=255&name=Advanced+Info+Service+PLC.&count=3&p=1&code=] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713111614/http://www.jobtopgun.com/content/profile/ais900/index.jsp?id_emp=255&name=Advanced+Info+Service+PLC.&count=3&p=1&code=|date=13 July 2011}} Advanced Info Service PLC</ref> In October 1990, it launched analog 900 [[megahertz|MHz]] mobile phone services with a 20-year monopoly concession from the [[TOT (Thailand)|Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT)]], and later became the first company allowed to operate on the GSM-900 [[GSM frequency bands|frequency]].<ref>[http://advanc.listedcompany.com/milestone.html#year_2000 AIS corporate website], click on "About AIS", "Company profile", and then "1990"{{Additional citation needed|date=May 2018}}</ref> It acquired Shinawatra Paging in June 1992.{{Citation needed|date=May 2018}}

The company is controlled by the [[Intouch Holdings]] (formerly [[Shin Corporation]]), headed by [[Temasek Holdings]], a [[Singapore]] government-owned agency. AIS listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand on {{Start date|df=yes|1991|11|5}}.<ref name="SETCompanyProfile">{{cite web|title=ADVANC Company Profile|url=http://www.set.or.th/set/companyprofile.do?symbol=ADVANC|work=Stock Exchange of Thailand|access-date=23 June 2010|archive-date=27 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927144656/http://www.set.or.th/set/companyprofile.do?symbol=advanc|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 23 December 2011, Intouch holds 40.45 percent of the shares of the company and [[Singapore Telecommunications]] (also majority-held by Temasek) together with Thai Trust Fund and OCBC Nominees holds a 23.32 percent stake.<ref name=AIS-SP-00>{{cite web|title=Page 42 – Shareholding structure – AIS 2011 Annual Report |url=http://investor.ais.co.th/FileUpload/Editor/DocumentUpload/WebContent/Annual%20Report/2011/AIS_En2011.pdf |access-date=7 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524102939/http://investor.ais.co.th/FileUpload/Editor/DocumentUpload/WebContent/Annual%20Report/2011/AIS_En2011.pdf |archive-date=24 May 2013 }}</ref><ref name=AIS-SP-01>{{cite news|title=Shin to sell more of AIS to Singtel|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Shin-to-sell-more-of-AIS-to-Singtel-30169413.html|work=The Nation|access-date=7 April 2012|archive-date=8 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608104500/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Shin-to-sell-more-of-AIS-to-Singtel-30169413.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="SETMajorShareholder">{{cite web|title=ADVANC Major Shareholder|url=http://www.set.or.th/set/companyholder.do?symbol=ADVANC|website=Stock Exchange of Thailand|access-date=23 June 2010|archive-date=1 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301045536/http://www.set.or.th/set/companyholder.do?symbol=ADVANC|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Temasek bought the AIS brand through the 2006 [[Sale of Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings|acquisition]] of the Shin Corporation from ousted former Prime Minister [[Thaksin Shinawatra]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Thaksin helps himself|url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2006/01/26/thaksin-helps-himself|access-date=23 June 2015|newspaper=The Economist|date=2006-01-26}}</ref>

In February 2014, in a [[2013–14 Thai political crisis|conflict]] between the [[People's Democratic Reform Committee]] (PRDC) and Shinawatra, the PDRC called for a boycott of AIS, wrongly believing it to be owned by the Shinawatra family.<ref>{{cite news|title=PDRC targets Shinawatra interests|url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/395900/pdrc-to-target-shinawatra-business-interests|access-date=6 March 2014|newspaper=Bangkok Post|date=19 February 2014}}</ref>

==Subsidiaries==
* Advanced Contact Center Company Limited (ACC) – operate AIS Call Center 1175 and 1148
* Advanced Datanetwork Communications Company Limited (ADC) – provide online [[data communication]] service via telephone lines under the name "Datanet", licensed by TOT
* DataNetwork Solutions Company Limited (DNS) – provide online data communication service via telephone lines under the name "Datanet" in the provincial area
* [[mPay]] – payment processing and e-wallet service

===mPay===
mPay, an AIS subsidiary, is a [[payment processor]] and one of Thailand's three major [[payment service provider]]s.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/E-wallet-key-service-as-True-Money-eyes-15-growth-30228473.html|title=E-wallet key service as True Money eyes 15% growth|work=The Nation|access-date=20 September 2016|archive-date=10 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310072140/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/E-wallet-key-service-as-True-Money-eyes-15-growth-30228473.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its partners include [[CIMB]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/CIMB-Thai-to-use-mPay-for-its-Beat-Savings-mobile--30256604.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327004701/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/CIMB-Thai-to-use-mPay-for-its-Beat-Savings-mobile--30256604.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 March 2015|title=CIMB Thai to use mPay for its Beat Savings mobile service|work=The Nation|access-date=20 September 2016}}</ref> and [[2C2P]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.2c2p.com/news.aspx|website=2C2P|title=unk|access-date=20 September 2016}}{{nonspecific|date=January 2019}}</ref>

According to a 2014 article in ''[[The Nation (Thailand)|The Nation]]'', mPay has around 1.6 million registered users, of which roughly 1.2 million are end-users and 400,000 are mPay agents. 150,000 of mPay's end-users use the service monthly, spending on average 30,000 baht.<ref>{{cite news| title=Cashing in on a cashless society | author=Pornwasin, Asina | work=The Nation | date=18 March 2014 | url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/technology/Cashing-in-on-a-cashless-society-30229412.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321162635/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/technology/Cashing-in-on-a-cashless-society-30229412.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=21 March 2014 | ref={{sfnref}}| access-date=25 September 2016}}</ref> In November 2015, four million people in Thailand used mPay,<ref name="PCL. 2015">{{cite news| title=Mobile networks team up for e-payment | work=[[Bangkok Post]] | date=3 September 2015 | url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/tech/local-news/768428/mobile-networks-team-up-for-e-payment | access-date=25 September 2016}}</ref> and in August 2013, mPay had around 700 merchant partners.<ref name="BPOST 2013">{{cite news| title=Opening the electronic wallet | work=Bangkok Post | date=19 August 2013 | url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/print/365276/ | access-date=25 September 2016}}</ref>

=== AIS Cloud ===
On 27 June 2025, AIS announced the launch of "AIS Cloud," a hyperscale cloud service, in Thailand, following a 4 billion baht investment. This service will utilize local data centers within Thailand and operates under Thai law. AIS Cloud is powered by [[Oracle Cloud|Oracle Cloud Infrastructure]] and is noted as the first of its kind to be operated entirely by a Thai company. The [[Digital Economy Promotion Agency]] (depa) has awarded AIS Cloud the "dSURE 3-Star certification," the highest level of [[Cloud computing|cloud service accreditation]] in the country. Corporate customers using AIS Cloud are expected to be eligible for tax incentives.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tortermvasana |first=Komsan |date=2025-06-27 |title=AIS launches B4bn Thai cloud service |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/3058940/ais-launches-b4bn-thai-cloud-service |access-date=2025-06-27 |work=Bangkok Post |language=en}}</ref>

== Services and coverage ==
As of August 2019, AIS is the largest network in Thailand, with 40.1 million subscribers.<ref name="DTAC Slow Plays 3g Roll Out">{{cite news|title=DTAC Slow Plays 3g Roll Out|url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/telecom/340378/dtac-slow-plays-3g-roll-out|work=Bangkok Post|access-date=15 March 2013 }}</ref> In addition to post pay services, AIS offers prepaid services under the ''1-2-Call'' brand.

Currently (2020) data is sold in time-based, volume-based and unlimited packages.

AIS operates [[2G]], [[3G]] [[WCDMA]]/[[HSPA+]], [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]], [[5G NR]], [[Narrowband IoT|NB-IoT]], and [[LTE-M|eMTC]] networks.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Frequencies used by AIS's Network in Thailand
|-
! Frequency !! Frequency<br/>band !! Frequency<br/>width<br/>(MHz) !! Generation !! Radio interface !! Notes
|-
|700&nbsp;MHz
|28/n28
|20
|[[4G]] & [[5G]]
|[[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]] & [[5G NR|NR]]
|
|-
| 900&nbsp;MHz || || GiLTE || [[2G]] || [[GSM]]/[[GPRS]]/[[EDGE (telecommunication)|EDGE]] ||
|-
| 900&nbsp;MHz || 8 || 10 || [[3G]] || [[UMTS]]/[[High Speed Packet Access|HSPA]] ||
|-
| 900&nbsp;MHz || 8 || 10 || [[4G]] || [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]] ||
|-
| 1800&nbsp;MHz || 3 || 20 || [[4G]] || [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]] || (main frequency)
|-
| 2100&nbsp;MHz || 1 || 10 || [[3G]] || [[UMTS]]/[[High Speed Packet Access|HSPA]] || 
|-
| 2100&nbsp;MHz || 1 || 20 || [[4G]] || [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]] ||
|-
|2600&nbsp;MHz
|41/n41
|100 (TDD)
|[[4G]] & [[5G]]
|[[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]] & [[5G NR|NR]]
|dynamic spectrum sharing 
|-
|26&nbsp;GHz
|n258
|1200
|[[5G]]
|[[5G NR|NR]]
|
|}

=== Wi-Fi hotspots ===

AIS owns and operates more than 100,000 Wi-Fi hotspots under the name "AIS SUPER WIFI."

=== Next G ===

In 2017 AIS announced it has teamed up with [[Samsung Electronics]] to combine Wi-Fi and LTE in a gigabit-speed mobile service called AIS Next G. The new network is estimated to be 15 times faster than the existing LTE and four times faster than the tri-band [[LTE Advanced|LTE-A]], the fastest wireless network currently available in Thailand.

=== AIS Play ===
AIS Play was launched on 1 February 2017, serving as Thai's first [[Over-the-top media service|OTT]] platform with 4K resolution and VOD, which featured AIS Play Originals (most of which are [[Boys Love]] series, such as Oh! My Sunshine Night, [[I'm Tee, Me Too]], War of Y, [[Not Me (TV series)|Not Me]] and even [[Love Stage!!#TV drama|Thai adaptation of Love Stage!!]]).

There are over 100 free-to-air channels, including some local channels, available to stream. There's also premium channels included with their Play Premium or Play Premium Plus subscription, such as [[HBO Asia]], [[Discovery Channel (Southeast Asian TV channel)|Discovery Channel Asia]], [[Bein Sports]], [[Nickelodeon]], etc. They also provide streaming app, such as [[Disney+]], [[Netflix]], [[Amazon Prime Video|Prime Video]], [[Viu (streaming service)|Viu]], [[Tencent Video|WeTV]], [[iQiyi]] and many more.

In 2021, AIS partnered with [[Thai League 1]], Thailand's top-tier football league, to broadcast their matches through their AIS Play application. The deal covered the whole 2021–2022 season and also included matches played in [[Thai League 2]] and [[Thai League 3]]. Additionally, the [[Thai FA Cup|Thai FA CUP]] was also broadcast on AIS Play.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website}}

{{Bridge Alliance}}
{{Thaksin Shinawatra}}

[[Category:Telecommunications companies established in 1986]]
[[Category:Thai companies established in 1986]]
[[Category:Mobile phone companies of Thailand]]
[[Category:Intouch Holdings]]
[[Category:Companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand]]
[[Category:Companies in the SET50]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in Thailand]]
[[Category:Thai brands]]
[[Category:SET50 Index]]
[[Category:Thaksin Shinawatra]]