It is indeed a privilege for me to welcome all of you on behalf of the Telecommunication Association of Thailand to the ’97 Annual General Meeting of PHS MoU Group, and the PHS Symposium. As you know, PHS is one of the most advanced personal communication systems to make use of so sophisticated wireless technology. It was founded as digital cordless technology and the microcell architecture and has a maximum capacity of up to 7 million subscribers in an urban setting. Beside the use of PHS as a cellular mobile phone, it supports other attractive uses as well as a home cordless, PBX cordless, walkie talkie and wireless local loop application. PHS has been quite successful in Japan. Since its first introduction in 1995, the number of PHS subscribers has grown to over 7 million now. PHS has also been introduced in many countries. Some on trial and some are ready in use. For Thailand, TOT (Telephone Organization of Thailand) has already accepted PHS and has received an official permit for PHS frequency band from Post and Telecommunication Department. The TOT also granted licenses to TelecomASIA and TT&T to operate public PHS service in the Bangkok metropolitan area and provincial area respectively. TOT has already planned to introduce PHS wireless local loop application in the rural area and is now calling an international tender for the supply and installation of the rural public long distance project to offer telecom service to the remaining no service villages of the country. We hope that after 1999 we may see the farmer in the remote villages communicate each other by PHS mobile phone roaming around on the back of the Buffalo and in the rice field. I wish the Meeting and the Symposium to be successful and very informative to all attendees and for those from overseas, to enjoy your stay in Thailand.