AIS 5G Sea Coverage Hits 60km on Chumphon Route

AIS 5G sea coverage has been pushed to roughly 60 kilometres on a key Gulf of Thailand ferry corridor after the carrier commercially deployed Sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO, according to The Reporter Asia. Tests on the Pak Nam Chumphon to Koh Tao route extended usable signal from about 38 kilometres previously, aiming at high-season tourists, boat crews and island communities who need maps, messaging and video while offshore.

How AIS 5G sea coverage reaches farther

Marine links are hard because towers cannot sit in open water and boats move through fringe coverage. AIS combined low-band spectrum below 1 GHz—700 MHz and 900 MHz—with Massive MIMO antenna arrays that steer capacity toward busy ferry tracks. The company frames the work inside its wider Sea First Coverage programme, which started tackling Gulf dead zones in 2023, and its WISE network strategy that pairs spectrum, technology and field expertise.

Chief technology officer Kitti Ngamjetanarom said connectivity should not stop at the shoreline, especially when Thailand hosts large domestic and foreign visitor flows at year-end. Southern operations lead Chotiwat Aunphikul added that planning must treat ferry corridors as continuous service paths, not only islands with a single coastal mast, using real traffic data and terrain models.

Why southern travellers should care

• Longer usable 5G range on the Chumphon–Koh Tao sea lane
• Better support for navigation apps, calls and uploads mid-crossing
• Template for other Gulf and Andaman boat routes if results hold
• Network scale: AIS cites 1,460 MHz of spectrum, 47.2 million mobile numbers and 5.4 million broadband subscribers

Phuket-bound visitors often chain Gulf and Andaman trips in one holiday. Stronger offshore signal reduces the blackout many travellers still expect between piers. For related connectivity and travel logistics on this site, see Starlink Mobile's Qualcomm 5G plans and our practical Phuket to Phi Phi ferry guide.

Limits, next steps and what is not claimed

A 60-kilometre test result on one corridor does not guarantee identical speeds on every southern route, in heavy rain, or when many passengers stream at once. AIS presents the milestone as an ASEAN commercial first for this Sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO sea use case, but independent speed samples will matter for frequent ferry users. Boat operators and island hotels can still keep offline maps and offline tickets as backup during the peak months.

As AIS 5G sea coverage expands, expect more attention on Andaman crossings that serve Phuket day trips, where geography and shipping lanes differ from the Gulf. The carrier says the goal is practical service for tourists, passenger-boat businesses and coastal communities, not just a distance record. We will watch for published coverage maps, additional routes and any National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission notes that confirm the commercial footprint.

Travel desks and boat ticket apps can help guests by explaining that coverage still varies by vessel route and handset band support. Passengers with older phones locked to mid-band 5G may see weaker results than users whose devices handle 700 and 900 MHz well. Crew Wi-Fi gateways that bond mobile links could also benefit if the longer range stays stable when several boats share the same sector.

For Thailand's visitor economy, reliable mid-sea data is becoming as basic as pier Wi-Fi. If the Chumphon template holds, southern provinces gain another infrastructure talking point alongside airport auto gates and EV bus corridors already rolling out on land. That mix of sea and shore connectivity is increasingly part of how Thailand sells convenient island hopping to short-stay visitors.

Photo: Cellular 5G equipment by Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).