First use of the telephone in Thailand began during the reign of King Rama V in 1881 with a telephone line constructed between the Bangkok, and Paknam, in Samut Prakarn, located a short distance south of Bangkok along the Chao Phraya river for the purpose of informing Bangkok of the news concerning the arrival and departure of ships at Paknam. [1]
The Telephone Organization of Thailand was founded by the Thai government in 24 February 1954. A state enterprise under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, it incorporated the Telephone Technician Unit under The Post and Telegraph Department. It originally had 732 staff members and a budget of 50 million Baht. The TOT provided telephone services in Bangkok Metropolis, which included Wat Lieb, Bangrak, Ploenchit and Samsaen Exchanges.[2]
TOT was transformed from a state-own enterprise under the control of the Transport and Communication Ministry to a public company named TOT Corporation Public on July 31, 2002.