MEF Executive Questionnaire #14: Thawatvongse Silamanonda, Senior Vice President, Mono Technology

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The fourteenth in the series is from Thawatvongse Silamanonda of Mono Technology.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
Mono Technology Co., Ltd is the No.1 content provider in Thailand, working closely with 3 major operators. We provide various content to satisfied mobile subscribers ranging from simple text sms service thru to 3G rich content. As International VAS Department, our main focus is to expand and utilize our current expertise and knowledge in the domestic market and to make ourselves present in the International arena.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses
Our principle business model that we primarily focus on is to create / aggregate branded useful content that can be consumed in various platforms. Give our subscriber choices to enjoy their favorite content thru traditional printed media, mobile screen, website, or IPTV channel.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
Mono Technology Co., Ltd greatest achievement in the Thailand market came in 2009 when we crossed 10 Million mobile subscribers mark. However, we believe that we have not fully utilized our strength yet; our next achievement will be even more exciting.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
VAS industry in Thailand is growing; our 200% growth in 2009 had confirmed this. Newer tariff plans and cheaper mobile devices proliferate the markets. What we are trying to do here is not only finding new services to provide to market but also make sure that our current subscribers enjoy using our service that match their lifestyle, receive full attention when contacting our call centre. CRM will be our primarily focus and an area that we believe will move the whole industry forward.

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
We truly believe that the future of the third screen device will be much bigger, what we see here is only the tip of the iceberg. The Mobile VAS market has an immense potential of growth, we all need to be open to need application, content and ensure we keep ourselves up to date in such a fast paced industry.

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
Mobile has become mandatory in professional life, replacing the laptop by enabling internet access. Not only because of its small attractive designs but also because it provides access to many useful personal features like camera, games, music and numerous features and applications.

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
i-Phone and Black Berry

8. What’s your favourite application?
Now it’s Perlingo

9. What’s your ringtone?
Own artistic, Candy Mafia

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
http://www.mobileinnovation.org/ of GSMA

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
Location Based application VS Behavioural Targeting on Mobile advertising