The 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 Prakan, a short distance south of Bangkok along the Chao Phraya River. Its purpose was informing Bangkok of the arrival and departure of ships at Paknam.[2]
The Telephone Organization of Thailand was founded by the Thai government on 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 the Bangkok metropolis, which included Wat Lieb, Bang Rak, Ploenchit, and Sam Sen Exchanges.[3]
TOT was transformed from a state-owned enterprise under the control of the Transport and Communication Ministry to a public company named TOT Corporation Public on 31 July 2002.