Powering down to unplug overhead chaos for underground gain

[webfact]

 

Four major organisations, namely the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, have joined forces to replace overhead cables with underground ones along 116 routes. This substantial project, spanning across both Bangkok and other provinces, will cover a total distance of 213 kilometres.

 

Originally slated for last year, this project is part of a larger plan. This includes the rearrangement of overhead cables across 1,407 routes in Bangkok and the provinces, covering a combined length of 2,498 kilometres.

 

The private operators, owning the telecom and broadcasting cables, will collaborate with the aforementioned four organisations to ensure the project’s timely completion. A recent meeting between the management representatives of these four parties agreed upon the operating costs for each entity to avoid any further delays.

Under the agreement, NBTC will subsidise the cost of cable removal, with MEA and PEA providing financial backing for some parts of the equipment involved in the removal process.

In the same vein, National Telecom (NT), a state telecom enterprise that owns conduits along 4,360 kilometres of roads nationwide, will reconsider a new rental rate to entice telecom operators for long-term rental agreements.

 

Past plans for 2023 had aimed to lay cables underground across 158 routes covering a total length of 267 kilometres.

 

However, due to unforeseen delays, cables were laid underground on only three routes in Bangkok, spanning 7.4 kilometres, and 39 routes in the provinces, covering 47 kilometres. This leaves the remaining work of 116 routes, covering a distance of 213 kilometres, to be completed this year.

 

Moreover, previous plans for rearranging existing overhead cables in 2023 and 2024 aimed to cover 1,594 routes, spanning a distance of 3,047km. However, only 187 routes with a combined length of 548 kilometres were covered in 2023.

 

An anonymous telecom industry source attributes the missed targets to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and political uncertainties. However, he also noted that the previous government had shown serious intent to improve the appearance of the country’s cities and provinces by laying overhead cables underground and rearranging overhead cables, reported Bangkok Post

 

Between 2018 and 2023, the organisations involved managed to rearrange overhead cables along 290 routes covering 1,606 kilometres in Bangkok and adjacent areas, and along 8,168 routes covering 16,844 kilometres in the provinces. From 2017 to 2023, they laid overhead cables underground on 129 routes both in Bangkok and the provinces covering a combined length of 183 kilometres.

 

by Alex Morgan

Picture courtesy of Unsplash

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-03-22

 

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[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Four major organisations, namely the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, have joined forces to replace overhead cables with underground ones along 116 routes. This substantial project, spanning across both Bangkok and other provinces, will cover a total distance of 213 kilometres.

I sincerely hope this is not within flood prone areas.

[Dionigi]

Last Tuesday workers were removing all the internet cables along south Pattaya Road. great heaps of cut cable on the pavements outside Tukcom and nearby.

[scorecard]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Four major organisations, namely the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, have joined forces to replace overhead cables with underground ones along 116 routes. This substantial project, spanning across both Bangkok and other provinces, will cover a total distance of 213 kilometres.

 

Originally slated for last year, this project is part of a larger plan. This includes the rearrangement of overhead cables across 1,407 routes in Bangkok and the provinces, covering a combined length of 2,498 kilometres.

 

The private operators, owning the telecom and broadcasting cables, will collaborate with the aforementioned four organisations to ensure the project’s timely completion. A recent meeting between the management representatives of these four parties agreed upon the operating costs for each entity to avoid any further delays.

Under the agreement, NBTC will subsidise the cost of cable removal, with MEA and PEA providing financial backing for some parts of the equipment involved in the removal process.

In the same vein, National Telecom (NT), a state telecom enterprise that owns conduits along 4,360 kilometres of roads nationwide, will reconsider a new rental rate to entice telecom operators for long-term rental agreements.

 

Past plans for 2023 had aimed to lay cables underground across 158 routes covering a total length of 267 kilometres.

 

However, due to unforeseen delays, cables were laid underground on only three routes in Bangkok, spanning 7.4 kilometres, and 39 routes in the provinces, covering 47 kilometres. This leaves the remaining work of 116 routes, covering a distance of 213 kilometres, to be completed this year.

 

Moreover, previous plans for rearranging existing overhead cables in 2023 and 2024 aimed to cover 1,594 routes, spanning a distance of 3,047km. However, only 187 routes with a combined length of 548 kilometres were covered in 2023.

 

An anonymous telecom industry source attributes the missed targets to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and political uncertainties. However, he also noted that the previous government had shown serious intent to improve the appearance of the country’s cities and provinces by laying overhead cables underground and rearranging overhead cables, reported Bangkok Post

 

Between 2018 and 2023, the organisations involved managed to rearrange overhead cables along 290 routes covering 1,606 kilometres in Bangkok and adjacent areas, and along 8,168 routes covering 16,844 kilometres in the provinces. From 2017 to 2023, they laid overhead cables underground on 129 routes both in Bangkok and the provinces covering a combined length of 183 kilometres.

 

by Alex Morgan

Picture courtesy of Unsplash

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-03-22

 

- Discover how Cigna Insurance can protect you with a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment. For more information on expat health insurance click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe
 

This subject has made the headlines again and again over many years.

 

Is there any actual progress at all?

[Srikcir]

As I recall, the Prayut government in 2016 vowed to put all power, telecom and other kinds of cable lines underground after criticism from American hi-tech billionaire Bill Gates.

And here Thailand is after more than a decade later. But in that time billions of baht went to Defence Department among other special PM projects.

So it's difficult to believe the current pro-military government coalition is going to achieve such goals any time soon.

[RocketDog]

Another pipe dream.

 

[rickudon]

Not underground, but on the main road near us in Udon Thani, they have recently replaced the power poles with much thicker and taller ones and substantially thicker wires, so overloaded trucks can no longer snag the wires....

Also probably a substantial increase in capacity. Got to charge those electric cars....

[Deserted]

They proposed that a few years back, why the delay?