Lanjakorn Patamasingh Na Ayutthaya (standing, left) one of the project
coordinators, explains the setup to Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh (standing,
right).
Manoon Makpol
More than a year after it was announced, a joint
Pattaya-CAT Telecom project to build a fiber-optic Internet network in
Pattaya is finally set to break ground.
The city will begin digging up parts of North and Second
roads later this month to allow CAT to lay the underground cables. Work will
continue throughout the year, eventually reaching Bali Hai Pier and
Pratamnak Road by November.
Announced in January 2010, CAT’s “fiber to the premises”
project promises to bring Internet speeds of 100-150 megabits per second to
Pattaya. The city is being used as a pilot project with CAT eventually
planning to spend 6 billion baht to bring super-fast data networks to every
province in Thailand.
The project, however, has seen its price tag increase and
scale decrease since the first contract with the city was signed early last
year. At the time, CAT said the fiber-optic network would cost 500 million
baht and cover Third Road, Jomtien Beach, Banglamung and Nongprue once the
initial beachfront rollout was complete.
No mention of any higher-speed Internet access for
Jomtien or East Pattaya was mentioned at the Feb. 7 press conference with
city and telecom officials.
Instead, cable will be laid from North Pattaya Road and
Soi Pettrakul, down to the Dolphin Roundabout and along Second Road to
Pratamnak Road and the Bali Hai flyover.
City officials said they’ve asked CAT to allow other
utility companies to lay power and other cables alongside the fiber-optic at
the same time so as to minimize the disruption from the latest round of road
construction.
