True faces major trust test after nationwide network outage
All eyes are on the recovery and customer compensation plans from the telecom giant
On the morning of May 22, 2025, users of the True Corporation Plc’s network across Thailand experienced a sudden and widespread service outage, affecting both mobile phone and home internet services in several areas. The outage, which continued into the afternoon, caused major disruptions to work, communications, and online transactions. The hashtag #ทรูล่ม (True down) quickly began trending on social media, reflecting not just a technical failure but a growing crisis of confidence for one of Thailand’s largest telecom providers.
True Corporation and Total Access Communication (DTAC) had previously completed Southeast Asia’s largest telecom merger, forming a combined market capitalization of approximately 294 billion baht. At the time, True's top executives promised that the merger would create "endless opportunities" and immediate benefits for customers of both networks.
True positioned itself as a network leader, aiming to cover 98% of the Thai population with 5G by 2026, while continuing nationwide network expansion. The merged entity officially registered under the name True Corporation Public Company Limited on March 1, 2023. This week marks the second anniversary of the merger.
30 Billion Baht Network Budget
Sigve Brekke, Group CEO of True Corporation, stated that the company has allocated a 28- to 30-billion-baht budget for network expansion in 2025. "Two years into the merger, we have seen the combined strength of the two organizations drive solid and sustainable growth," he said.
True has now laid out three core missions: Building a trusted brand, developing AI innovations for all Thais, and fostering a customer-centric organizational culture.
“True has become a dominant player in Thailand’s telecommunications market — both in mobile and broadband. My goal is to make True a trusted and loved brand for everyone,” Brekke added.
A Giant Falls When the Network Fails
In terms of subscribers, True is a market giant, with 51–52 million mobile users by the end of 2023 — a 52.77% market share. However, this number fell to 48.8 million in Q1 2025, a decline of 638,000 users (1.3%) quarter-over-quarter, mainly among prepaid users. Postpaid subscribers saw a slight increase.
Encouragingly, True’s 5G user base continues to grow, reaching 14.2 million users in Q1 2025. Broadband users number around 3.7–3.8 million, with modest growth in recent quarters.
The decline in total mobile subscribers may indicate mounting challenges in customer retention, particularly amid recurring service quality issues — something True must urgently address to maintain its leadership.
In 2025, the company projects a 2–3% increase in service revenue (excluding IC and domestic roaming) and 8–10% growth in EBITDA year-over-year.
Timeline of True Network Outages
Over the past 2–3 years, True has suffered multiple network disruptions, many linked to network integration issues following the merger:
Feb 22, 2023: Internet outage for ~45 minutes affected users in some areas; #ทรูล่ม trended despite the short duration.
May 30, 2024: A major 5-hour outage caused widespread disruption; many users unknowingly purchased add-on packages during the downtime, while businesses faced critical communication failures.
May 22, 2025: The latest nationwide outage affected mobile and home internet. The hashtag #ทรูล่ม trended again. DTAC users remained unaffected, suggesting the issue may stem from legacy True infrastructure or unresolved integration challenges.
Compensation and Regulatory Meeting
At 3:00 PM on May 22, True issued a statement apologizing for the service interruption, stating that both voice and data services were gradually returning to full capacity across all regions.
The company announced compensation for both postpaid and prepaid customers affected by the outage. Impacted users will receive SMS notifications with compensation details.
That afternoon, True executives met with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to provide an explanation and outline preventive measures to avoid future incidents.
