In both India and Thailand, SingTelÆs investments in local operators appear to be bearing fruit.
First off, in Thailand, the $392 million acquisition by Advanced Info Service of Shin Digital will see the new entity emerge as the truly dominant player in the local market.
The acquisition of ThailandÆs third biggest operator by its biggest is, if anything, a restructuring. Both companies indeed had the same parent, Shin Corp. However, analysts reckon the new entity will emerge with around a 60% market share and will be able to make significant cost savings via synergies in capex and other areas. SingTel owns about 20% of AIS.
The logic behind the merger...
