The Deputy Managing Director of the Lao Telecommunication Public Company (LTPC), Mr Alounyadeth Banchit (left), shakes hands with EDL’s Deputy Managing Director, Mr Vilaphone Visounnarath, after signing the cooperation agreement on Monday.

Lao Telecom teams up with EDL for study on business cooperation, bill payments inked

The Lao Telecom group has signed an agreement with the Lao Electricite du Laos (EDL) to conduct a feasibility study on business cooperation and put in place arrangements for paying electricity bills via the M-Money Application.
The agreement was signed by the Deputy Managing Director of the Lao Telecommunication Public Company (LTPC), Mr Alounyadeth Banchit, and EDL’s Deputy Managing Director, Mr Vilaphone Visounnarath, at the headquarters of LTPC in Vientiane on Monday. 
The event was witnessed by the Minister of Technology and Communication, Prof. Dr Boviengkham Vongdala, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Dr Daovong Phonekeo, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Phouthanouphet Xaysombath, the Deputy Minister of Technology and Communication, Dr Santisouk Simmalavong, the Managing Director of EDL, Mr Chanthaboun Soukaloun, and other guests.
As part of efforts to promote the role of communications and electric energy in people’s livelihoods and the nation’s socio-economic development, the two leading state-owned enterprises have been given the responsibility of providing services to the public along with access to necessary facilities and innovations.
The two organisations are keen to seek possibilities for business cooperation based on their infrastructure and the strength of their business operations for the benefit of society.
According to the newly signed agreement, the two organisations will work on technical and economic research for short, medium and long-term business plans by using EDL’s optical ground-wire network across the country.
They will focus on studies for using Lao Telecom’s technology for sending SMSs to inform customers about EDL’s power cuts and other related information. They also intend to apply the use of internet packages for modern electric counters.
The two companies partners will also study ways to use the existing infrastructure of EDL to expand the telecom signal network, and they intend to use EDL’s optical wire network for high speed internet services in Vientiane.
In addition, the two companies will seek ways to effectively manage the wires of various telecom companies that are strung on electricity posts.
They will also conduct a feasibility study for establishing a billing system or a Network Operation Centre (NOC), which can be used for the public relations of the two enterprises.
A study on building electric vehicle (EV) charging stations is part of the plans of the two companies, which are also looking to cooperate on organisational culture, maintenance and repairs of networks, finance and accounting with the System Application and Products.
EDL has agreed to integrate its bill payment and other payment systems with the Mobile Wallet or M-Money App developed by Lao Mobile Money Sole Limited under the LTPC.
Senior managing directors of the two enterprises are hopeful that their cooperation will contribute to the implementation of the policies of the Party and government, promote stronger integration with international systems and improve internal communications schemes.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update August 17, 2022)