From flood relief to lag-free gaming: AIS reinvents connectivity in Thailand

What do cloud gaming and disaster recovery have in common? Not much, except perhaps for world-class carriers like Thailand’s AIS. The operator, the largest in Thailand, uses a variety of sophisticated AI tools to manage network operations. That includes everything from optimizing online gamers’ experience to speeding up recovery after disasters.

In October 2024, torrential rains caused severe flooding in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, damaging local communication network infrastructure.

In the past, damaged network cells were inspected and repaired manually, a process that took days. But in Chiang Mai, AIS used Huawei’s cell outage detection and compensation (CODC) solution. CODC helps ensure uninterrupted connectivity by letting cellular base stations automatically compensate for signal disruption in bad weather.

CODC uses high-precision digital twins to monitor network status in real time, allowing technicians to detect outages in about 60 seconds. It also can compensate for signal loss in one cell by remotely adjusting the antennas of neighboring cells.

CODC helped ensure continuity of network services after the Chiang Mai ding flooding subsided, and is now in use nationwide, covering 60,000 cells across Thailand.

Customized connectivity

Network automation is also useful in the world of 5G cloud gaming, beloved by Bangkok's e-sports community. Few gamers, bent intently over their consoles, realize that their experience relies on “network-management AI” that locates and fixes problems in real time.

In 2024, AIS and Huawei launched an "experience-based gaming package" enabling autonomous communications networks to "think for themselves." The AIS network provides users with three distinct connection modes customized to meet specific needs: acceleration mode, live streaming mode, and gaming mode. Users can use the “My AIS” app's built-in map to view nearby network quality and check how different services are performing, including their social media and gaming services.

AIS and Huawei engineers are testing 5G live network in Bangkok

Customers can use the app to buy different packages that optimize network performance according to their needs. The multiple package options allow users to obtain higher download speeds, reduce in-game lag, or improve the stability of large-uplink live streaming. Each package can be effective for as little as three hours after activation and costs about THB49 (CNY9.7). AIS's average revenue per user (ARPU) has increased 1.5 times with these 5G services.

A network both flexible and intelligent

AIS’s quick response to the flood would have been impossible without the carrier’s previous efforts in intelligent networks. Since AIS deployed its first 5G network in 2020, it has continued to develop 5G services. AIS is also exploring how best to integrate AI into its entire O&M process to reduce costs and energy consumption, while improving production efficiency and quality.

In the past two years, it has successfully optimized its fault management and customer complaint management processes, resulting in a 10% improvement in customer experience, 80% lower traffic loss, and an over 20% increase in network efficiency. AIS was able to achieve these results even though it still operates complex multi-generation network architecture encompassing 3G, 4G, 5G, and 5G-A networks.

This year, AIS Thailand is committed to achieving an Autonomous Network Level 4 (AN L4) to support future network technologies. To this end, last October, AIS, Huawei, and a number of other partners jointly launched the Global TD-LTE Initiative's (GTI) Intelligent RAN Ubiquitous AI Project. The project aims to integrate new intelligent technologies, such as foundation models and digital twins, into high-quality and highly reliable RAN, while at the same time exploring new business opportunities.

Kitti Ngarmchatetanarom, CTO of AIS, said, “We are ready to further improve network operation capabilities and provide everyone with customized excellent user experience. This will accelerate our transformation to AN L4, and help us grow from being a traditional communications service provider into a pioneer in cognitive technology."

Wasit Wattanasap, Executive Vice President of AIS, said, "The CODC jointly developed by AIS and Huawei can optimize network resources in real time to ensure stable communications in emergencies. It has played a key role during these floods, supporting rescue work. This is the fruit of our joint efforts."