TOT Plc may seek strategic partners to manage and operate its telecom services, reported the Bangkok Post on 17 April 2012.

The planned partnerships would involve the partners operating certain TOT telecom services as virtual network operators, according to TOT board chairman Panthep Chamrasromran.

The partnerships will be aimed at trying to stop the loss of fixed-line telephone subscribers and to stimulate broadband internet usage and international call traffic, eventually increasing overall revenues, but will not include mobile phones, as starting from 20 December 2013, TOT will be required to return revenue from its mobile phone concessions and frequency-related services to the government via the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).

The future of TOT, which is 100%-owned by the Ministry of Finance, remains uncertain after the loss of its revenue from mobile phone concessions, which in 2011 was some 19 billion baht from concessionaire AIS alone.