Communication Services

Alphabet Inc. is positioned to extend a streak of earnings beats into its next quarterly report, according to Zacks Investment Research. Over the last two quarters, the company's average earnings surprise was 154.94%. In the most recent quarter, Alphabet was expected to post earnings of $2.88 per share but reported $9.11 per share, a surprise of 216.32%, following the prior quarter's result of $5.11 per share against a consensus estimate of $2.64 per share, a surprise of 93.56%. Alphabet currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.20% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), a combination that Zacks research shows produces a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time.

Alphabet holds a positive Zacks Earnings ESP of +1.20% ahead of its next quarterly report, a signal that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. The company has an established record of topping estimates, with an average surprise of 154.94% over the past two quarters. In the most recent quarter, Alphabet was expected to post earnings of $2.88 per share but reported $9.11 per share, a surprise of 216.32%, while the prior quarter's consensus estimate of $2.64 per share gave way to actual earnings of $5.11 per share, a surprise of 93.56%. Combined with its Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), the positive Earnings ESP suggests another beat is possibly around the corner, as stocks with that combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time.

Verizon Communications has entered into a joint venture with AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile US, Inc. to expand wireless coverage and reduce mobile dead zones across the United States using satellite connectivity. The venture will complement Verizon's existing network with direct-to-device services, letting compatible devices connect to satellite networks and providing backup connectivity during natural disasters or other network disruptions. The partnership is expected to reduce coverage gaps, improve reliability and provide more satellite service options, while helping Verizon adopt common technical standards that improve compatibility among devices, operating systems and satellite networks. Existing carrier-satellite agreements will remain in place, allowing Verizon to continue its independent connectivity initiatives alongside the new venture. Verizon shares have gained 10.8% over the past year compared with the industry's growth of 119.6%, and the stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 8.77 versus the industry average of 37.6. Earnings estimates for 2026 have remained static at $5.03 per share, while estimates for 2027 have increased 0.2% to $5.30 over the past 60 days.

Deutsche Bank has laid out three scenarios for Meta Muse, forecasting that the product could generate $36.3 billion in sales by 2030 in its most optimistic case. The middle case projects about $10.7 million, while the base case puts revenue potential at roughly $2.4 billion. The forecasts were detailed on page seven of a Deutsche Bank note, and Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi said he double-checked the top figure to confirm it was $36.3 billion and not $36.3 million. Sozzi noted Meta's stock has climbed roughly 23 to 24 percent over the past month on optimism about Muse, citing strong downloads and early use cases. He also discussed Meta's talent push, including the hiring of the former MongoDB chief executive, with a former Meta chief technology officer who said Mark Zuckerberg personally recruits key leaders.

Firy announced on Monday that it completed the sale of its 10.5% stake in Exit Games back to the company for $55M in cash. The deal closed on October 2, with Firy receiving the full proceeds and adding the cash to its balance sheet. Firy originally invested $50M in July 2021, making the sale a roughly 1.1x return on its investment. The company said the cash provides flexibility to pursue other opportunities, while noting its realized return was about 22 times the average five-year distribution multiple for 2021-vintage U.S. venture funds.

Deutsche Bank analyst Benjamin Black estimates Meta's Muse AI agent could generate up to 8% of the company's revenue by 2030, roughly $36 billion in sales, with a lower-end forecast of $2.4 billion. Muse has already been downloaded more than 5.1 million times, according to Sensor Tower, and Meta has signed commerce deals with Shopify and PayPal. Meta also debuted the Muse Charm in late September, a standalone pocket device built exclusively for voice interaction with the Muse agent, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg showcased a shift toward "personal superintelligence" with the Meta VR Glasses, a 100-gram spatial computing device priced at $1,299 with 5K micro-OLED displays, tethered puck processing, and native eye and hand tracking. On the smart eyewear front, Meta launched the third-generation Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 glasses starting at $249, alongside camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses for open-ear listening and AI voice interaction. Meta's stock is up 25% inside of a month.

TELUS and AST SpaceMobile have successfully completed their first integration test between TELUS' wireless network and AST SpaceMobile's space-based network, a milestone toward delivering broadband data, voice calls and text messages directly between smartphones and satellites. The service is expected to be available to TELUS customers within the next year, letting eligible smartphones connect beyond the reach of traditional cell towers. AST SpaceMobile's constellation features the largest communication arrays ever deployed in Low Earth Orbit. Nazim Benhadid, Executive Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer at TELUS, called the milestone a major step forward in extending cellular coverage to places where service isn't available today, while AST SpaceMobile Chief Commercial Officer Chris Ivory said the test reflects the strength and maturity of the company's technology. The partnership builds on TELUS' ongoing investments in its wireless network, including faster 5G+ and LTE speeds and expanded coverage across Canada.

Alphabet's Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has risen 0.9% over the last 30 days to $2.95 per share, a change of +2.8% from the year-ago quarter. For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $20.55 points to a change of +90.1% from the prior year and has moved +0.3% over the past 30 days, while the next fiscal year's estimate of $14.82 indicates a change of -27.9% and has changed +0.5% over the past month. The consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $111.36 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +27.3%, and estimates of $433.8 billion and $548.69 billion for the current and next fiscal years indicate changes of +26.5% and +26.5%, respectively. Alphabet reported revenues of $103.62 billion in the last reported quarter, up 26.8% year over year, with EPS of $9.11 versus $2.31 a year ago, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $101.28 billion by 2.31% on revenue and posting an EPS surprise of +216.32%. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and a Zacks Value Style Score of D, indicating it trades at a premium to its peers.

PROEN Corp, or PROEN, has received an investment promotion card from the Board of Investment, or BOI, for its Cloud Service business, granting an exemption from corporate income tax on net profits from the promoted business for up to 8 years, with the total exempted tax amount not exceeding 100% of the investment, excluding land costs and working capital, along with import duty benefits on machinery under specified conditions. Chief Executive Officer Kittiphun Sribua-iam disclosed that this BOI privilege extends the company's digital infrastructure business and opens the opportunity to generate increased revenue from Cloud services in the future. The promotion card requires the project to have an investment of no less than 282.86 million baht, excluding land costs and working capital, and to commence operations within 36 months from the date the promotion card is issued. The project scope covers Cloud Service offerings including Infrastructure as a Service, or IaaS, and Platform as a Service, or PaaS, along with conditions regarding the Data Center, connectivity systems, and standards for security and service provision. The company also plans to organize training to develop knowledge and skills in using Cloud Service continuously every quarter for a period of 3 years from the date the promotion card is received. The Cloud business is expected to help create a new revenue base and support the recovery of operating results in the period ahead.

True Corporation has released True Data Insight findings from an analysis of usage on the TRUE 5G and True Online networks during the severe flooding in the final week of September 2026, showing that voice calls made a clear comeback, rising 600% overall compared with normal conditions. By area, Ramkhamhaeng housing saw voice traffic rise 222% and Klong Chan housing 169%. During the peak usage window between 09:00 and 10:00 on 26 September, voice traffic in Ramkhamhaeng housing soared 632%, while Klong Chan housing rose 311% compared with the same period the previous week. On mobile data, uploads grew faster than downloads: Ramkhamhaeng housing saw uploads rise 61% against downloads of 4%, and Klong Chan housing saw uploads rise 44% against downloads of 6%. Among communication apps, LINE saw the largest traffic increase at 22%, followed by Messenger at 13%, Facebook at 10%, Netflix at 9% and FaceTime at 8%. For home internet from True Online, the eastern region saw average usage rise 8%, the highest of any region overall, with Trat province up 21%, while Bangkok and its vicinity rose an average of 5% and the central and western regions rose an average of 3%, with Ratchaburi up the most at 6%. True said it will use these insights to help plan and manage its network so it can more effectively meet the public's communication needs in emergency situations.

True Corporation has released True Data Insight findings from usage on the TRUE 5G and True Online networks during the severe flooding in the final week of September 2026, showing a clear shift in the communication behaviour of Thais, with voice calls coming back into heavy use the moment a crisis hit. Data from 26 September 2026 compared with the previous week showed voice traffic rising in Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, with Pathum Thani up 60%, Bangkok up 58%, Samut Prakan up 58%, Nonthaburi up 51% and Chonburi up 29%. In the flood-hit areas, voice traffic at Keha Rom Klao rose 222% and at Keha Khlong Chan rose 169%. During the peak usage period between 09:00 and 10:00 on 26 September, voice traffic at Keha Rom Klao surged 632%, while Keha Khlong Chan rose 311% compared with the same period the previous week. On mobile data, uploads rose clearly faster than downloads: averaged over 25-26 September 2026, Keha Rom Klao saw uploads up 61% against a download increase of 4%, while Keha Khlong Chan saw uploads up 44% against a download increase of 6%. For mobile app traffic, LINE posted the largest gain at 22%, followed by Messenger at 13%, Facebook at 10%, Netflix at 9% and FaceTime at 8%. On home internet from True Online in the main affected areas, the eastern region recorded an average usage increase of 8%, the highest of any region overall, with Trat province up as much as 21%, while Bangkok and its surrounding provinces rose an average of 5% and the central and western regions rose an average of 3%, with Ratchaburi posting the largest gain at 6%. True said it will use this dataset on communication behaviour during emergencies to help plan and manage its network in line with the public's communication needs in unforeseen situations going forward.

True Corporation Public Company Limited, or TRUE, has released the findings of its True Data Insight analysis of usage data on the TRUE 5G and True Online networks during the heavy rain and flooding in the final week of September 2026, showing a clear shift in users' communication behaviour, with voice calls rising significantly again in affected areas. Voice Traffic data for 26 September 2026 compared with the previous week showed Pathum Thani up 60%, Bangkok and Samut Prakan both up 58%, Nonthaburi up 51% and Chonburi up 29%. Looking specifically at the hardest-hit areas, the Rom Klao housing estate saw Voice Traffic rise 222% and the Khlong Chan housing estate 169%. During the 09:00-10:00 hour on 26 September, Voice Traffic usage at the Rom Klao housing estate surged as much as 632%, while the Khlong Chan housing estate rose 311% compared with the same period the previous week. On Mobile Data usage over the TRUE 5G network, Upload Traffic rose at a clearly higher rate than Download: on average for 25-26 September, the Rom Klao housing estate saw Upload rise 61% against a Download increase of 4%, and the Khlong Chan housing estate saw Upload rise 44% against a Download increase of 6%. Among mobile applications, LINE saw the highest traffic increase at 22%, followed by Messenger at 13%, Facebook at 10%, Netflix at 9% and FaceTime at 8%. For True Online home internet, usage rose clearly in areas affected by the flooding, with the eastern region up an average of 8%, the highest of any region overall, and Trat province up as much as 21%, while Bangkok and its vicinity rose an average of 5% and the central and western regions rose an average of 3%, with Ratchaburi up the most at 6%, compared with regions not primarily affected, which grew at a lower rate. TRUE will use the True Data Insight data to help plan and manage its network to accommodate changing usage patterns in emergency situations going forward.

Deutsche Telekom said it expects to save billions of dollars by 2030 and generate additional revenue as it rolls out artificial intelligence across the entire company. The partially state-owned German telecommunications giant expects AI and automation to generate gross savings of about €1.1B, or $1.2B, outside the U.S. for 2027 compared to 2023, with around €2.5B, roughly $2.8B, in indirect cost savings by 2030. Deutsche Telekom, which owns a majority stake in T-Mobile US, expects AI-related savings of €100M to €150M between 2023 and 2027, and says additional savings in 2027 will be partially reinvested in expanding Germany's fiber-optic network. On the revenue side, the company expects to generate around €250M in AI-related revenue from businesses outside the U.S. by 2026, aiming to increase that to about €800M by 2030. CEO Tim Höttges said AI is fundamentally transforming Deutsche Telekom, making its networks better and smarter, its service more personalized, and opening up new business models from AI assistants during phone calls to a sovereign infrastructure for European industry. The company's AI chatbot Frag Magenta handled about 2.6M customer service calls in H1 2026, and U.S. customer service calls have dropped 55%, with AI agents now handling 40% of customer contacts. Deutsche Telekom is also developing a platform for small and medium-sized businesses to help them automate recurring tasks.

PROEN Corp Public Company Limited, or PROEN, has received an investment promotion certificate from the Board of Investment (BOI) for its Cloud Service business for up to 8 years, as disclosed by Chief Executive Officer Kittiphun Sribua-iam. The company has been granted a corporate income tax exemption on net profits from the promoted business for up to 8 years, with the total exempted tax amount not exceeding 100% of the investment capital, excluding land costs and working capital, along with import duty benefits on machinery under specified conditions. The promotion certificate requires the project to have an investment of no less than 282.86 million baht, excluding land costs and working capital, and operations must commence within 36 months from the date the promotion certificate is issued. The project scope covers the provision of Cloud Services including both Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS), along with conditions regarding the Data Center, connectivity systems, and standards for security and service provision. Kittiphun said that this BOI privilege did not come solely from the investment, but required passing conditions and standards on many fronts, including the quality of the Cloud and Data Center infrastructure, the efficiency of systems and energy usage, high-speed connectivity systems, as well as standards for security and service provision, which reflect the readiness of the infrastructure the company has developed. In addition, PROEN plans to organize training to develop knowledge and skills in using Cloud Services continuously every quarter for a period of 3 years from the date of receiving the promotion certificate, in order to upgrade the Cloud technology skills of its personnel. The company expects this investment to open opportunities for PROEN to build a new revenue base from providing Cloud infrastructure and platform services if it can increase the number of customers and system utilization rates according to plan, while the 8-year tax exemption will help profits from businesses that meet BOI conditions have a greater chance of flowing through to net profit.

PROEN Corp Public Company Limited, or PROEN, has received an investment promotion certificate from the Board of Investment, or BOI, for its Cloud Service business, granting a corporate income tax exemption of up to 8 years, under a total tax exemption ceiling of not more than 100% of the investment, excluding land costs and working capital, along with import duty benefits on machinery under specified conditions. Chief Executive Officer Kittiphun Sribua-iam disclosed that the project requires a minimum investment of 282.86 million baht, excluding land costs and working capital, and must commence operations within 36 months from the date the promotion certificate is issued. The project scope covers the provision of Cloud Services in both Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) formats, and must comply with BOI criteria regarding data centers, connectivity systems, and security and service quality standards. The company expects this investment to open opportunities to build a new revenue base from Cloud infrastructure and platform services if it can increase the number of customers and system utilization according to plan. The machinery import duty exemption will help reduce part of the investment cost, while the corporate income tax exemption of up to 8 years will allow profits from the BOI-eligible business to flow through more fully to the company's net profit. Kittiphun added in closing that if operations proceed according to plan, the Cloud business will help increase both revenue and profit for PROEN in the future and may serve as another supporting factor for the recovery of its operating results in the period ahead.

Krungsri Securities maintains a "Buy" rating on Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited, or ADVANC, with a target price of 430 baht based on the DCF method. Against the latest closing price of 349 baht, that implies 23% upside. It expects net profit for the third quarter of 2026 at 13,426 million baht, up 11.5% year on year but down 2.1% quarter on quarter. The sequential slowdown stems from higher network-related costs and a larger share of losses recognized from the Virtual Banking business. Core revenue excluding IC is expected at 45,600 million baht, up 4.8% year on year and 0.5% quarter on quarter, driven by the mobile and fixed broadband businesses. Total revenue is expected at 57,739 million baht, up 6.2% year on year and 2.2% quarter on quarter. EBITDA is expected at 32,829 million baht, up 4.5% year on year but down 0.3% quarter on quarter. On the subscriber base, total mobile users are expected at 47.247 million numbers, up 2.1% year on year and 0.3% quarter on quarter, split into 14.022 million postpaid and 33.225 million prepaid numbers. Blended ARPU is 242 baht per month, up 3.5% year on year and 0.9% quarter on quarter. Fixed broadband customers stand at 5.386 million, up 3.5% year on year and 0.7% quarter on quarter. Krungsri also maintains its 2026 profit forecast at 53,325 million baht, growing 15.9% year on year. If third-quarter 2026 results come in as expected, they would represent 76% of the full-year profit forecast, and profit momentum is expected to reaccelerate in the fourth quarter of 2026 on seasonal tourism and high levels of consumer spending. It also sees upside risk to its profit forecast of about 3% to 4% and expects a dividend yield of 4.9% for 2026. For 2026, it forecasts revenue of 236,447 million baht, EBITDA of 126,968 million baht, and net profit of 53,325 million baht.

AIS has launched the AIS SMART Pets Phone, a smart pet tracker and communication device, under the concept More Than Tracking, It's Caring. It upgrades from the AIS Pet Tracker to real-time connection and communication, combining communications and IoT technology so owners can track and communicate with their pets even when apart. It was unveiled for the first time at the Pet Run Club event at AIS SIAM, Siam Square. The device supports two-way video calls and voice calls, with an automatic response system and a Video Location function for viewing the surroundings around the pet. For tracking, it uses Real-Time Precision GPS, lets users set a Safe Zone and sends alerts when the pet leaves the area, and includes a Pet Flash Locator and a One-Touch SOS button. It has an IP67 waterproof rating and an 800 mAh battery that lasts up to 4 days of continuous use, with no monthly subscription fee. For connectivity, it supports the AIS One-2-Call! Gadget SIM, an annual data SIM for IoT devices with no long-term contract tie-in. The device weighs only 38 grams and is suitable for pets weighing 8 kilograms or more, with a 1-year product warranty. It is priced at 1,990 baht and available at AIS Shop and the AIS Online Store.

KGI Securities (Thailand) said in an analysis dated October 2, 2026, that it expects Advanced Info Service, or ADVANC, to report net profit of approximately 13.3 billion baht for the third quarter of 2026, down about 3% from the previous quarter but up roughly 11% from the same period a year earlier. Core profit is expected at approximately 13.2 billion baht, down 3% from the previous quarter and up 10% from a year earlier. Total revenue this quarter is expected at approximately 57.7 billion baht, up 5.8% from the same period a year earlier but down 0.3% from the previous quarter, driven by continued growth in the mobile phone business and the Fixed Broadband, or FBB, business. If the forecast holds, core profit for the first nine months of 2026 will be approximately 40.3 billion baht, up 20% from the same period a year earlier, accounting for about 73% of KGI's full-year 2026 profit estimate. KGI expects normal profit for the full year at approximately 55.1 billion baht, up 19.8% from a year earlier, and expects it to rise to approximately 58.2 billion baht in 2027. KGI maintains its Outperform recommendation and has lowered its 2027 target price to 396 baht from 425 baht, seeing roughly 15% upside from the share price of 345 baht on October 1, 2026, and expects a dividend yield of about 5% per year.

B-Ray Media announced it plans to use 12 million yuan of its own funds to increase capital in its associate Chengdu Tianfu Film Co., Ltd., and will complete a combined 30 million yuan capital increase plan together with its controlling shareholder Chengdu Media Industry Group Co., Ltd. Tianfu Film will add 30 million yuan in new registered capital this time. After the capital increase, registered capital will rise from 50 million yuan to 80 million yuan. Chengdu Media Industry Group will subscribe 18 million yuan of new registered capital with 18 million yuan in cash, and B-Ray Media will subscribe 12 million yuan of new registered capital with 12 million yuan in cash. Because Chengdu Media Industry Group is B-Ray Media's controlling shareholder, this joint capital increase constitutes a related-party transaction but does not constitute a major asset restructuring. In the 12 months before the disclosure date of this announcement, the company and the same related party and its controlled related legal persons had already conducted related-party transactions totaling 7.7734 million yuan that require cumulative calculation. With the proposed 12 million yuan capital increase, the cumulative amount over 12 consecutive months has reached more than 0.5 percent of the absolute value of the company's most recent audited net assets, so the matter must be submitted to the board of directors for review and disclosed. Financial data show that as of June 30, 2026, Tianfu Film had total assets of 77.8303 million yuan and net assets of 49.4721 million yuan. From January to June 2026, it achieved operating revenue of 7.6763 million yuan and a net loss of 993,500 yuan. In 2025, it achieved operating revenue of 18.6965 million yuan and net profit of 677,100 yuan. B-Ray Media said this capital increase will help optimize Tianfu Film's financial structure and safeguard its investment progress in key film and television projects. After the capital increase is completed, the shareholding ratios of all parties will remain unchanged, with B-Ray Media still holding 40 percent of Tianfu Film and Chengdu Media Industry Group holding 60 percent.

True Corporation has released True Data Insight data from an analysis of usage on the TRUE 5G and True Online networks during severe flooding in the final week of September 2026, finding that voice calls clearly rose again. On 26 September 2026 compared with the previous week, Pathum Thani rose 60%, Bangkok 58%, Samut Prakan 58%, Nonthaburi 51% and Chonburi 29%. In the affected areas, Keha Romklao saw voice traffic rise 222% and Keha Khlong Chan rise 169%. During the peak usage period of 09:00–10:00 on the same day, Keha Romklao surged 632% and Keha Khlong Chan rose 311%. As for average mobile data on 25–26 September 2026, Keha Romklao saw uploads rise 61% against a 4% increase in downloads, while Keha Khlong Chan saw uploads rise 44% against a 6% rise in downloads. The messaging app LINE posted the highest increase at 22%, followed by Messenger at 13%, Facebook at 10%, Netflix at 9% and FaceTime at 8%. Home internet usage in the affected areas of the eastern region rose an average of 8%, the highest overall among the regions, with Trat up as much as 21%. Bangkok and its vicinity rose an average of 5%, while the central and western regions rose an average of 3%, with Ratchaburi posting the highest increase at 6%. True said it will use these insights to help plan and manage its network so it can meet communications demand in every situation.

Interlink Telecom Public Company Limited, or ITEL, has been selected by the Provincial Electricity Authority, or PEA, to carry out the project to tidy communication cables on power poles for the year 2026. The project is divided into two parts: work in the central region worth 148,774,493.70 baht, and work in the southern region worth 117,830,798.25 baht, for a total value of 266,605,291.95 baht. Dr. Nattanai Anantarumporn, Chief Executive Officer of ITEL, said the company is pleased to have earned PEA's trust and is committed to completing the work efficiently and on target. The two projects, with a combined value of more than 266 million baht, will help strengthen the company's telecommunications infrastructure revenue base, with revenue recognition proceeding in line with the operating plan and contract conditions after signing.

PROEN Corp Public Company Limited, or PROEN, has received an investment promotion certificate from the Board of Investment, or BOI, for its Cloud Service business, granting a corporate income tax exemption on net profits from the promoted business for up to 8 years, with the total exempted tax amount not exceeding 100% of the investment, excluding land costs and working capital, along with import duty benefits on machinery under the specified conditions as detailed in the promotion certificate. The project requires a minimum investment of 282.86 million baht, excluding land costs and working capital, and must commence operations within 36 months from the date the promotion certificate is issued. The project scope covers the provision of Cloud Service, including both Infrastructure as a Service, or IaaS, and Platform as a Service, or PaaS, along with conditions regarding data centers, connectivity systems, and standards for security and service provision. Kittiphun Sribua-iam, Chief Executive Officer of PROEN, said that receiving this promotion reflects the readiness of the infrastructure the company has developed, and that the cloud business is expected to create a new revenue base and support after-tax profits in the future. Meanwhile, the company plans to organize training to develop knowledge and skills in using Cloud Service continuously every quarter for a period of 3 years from the date the promotion certificate is received.

The Thai stock market index on October 2, 2026 closed at 1,571.62 points, up 7.71 points or 0.49%, with trading value of 71.09 billion baht. Foreign investment flowed out toward U.S. government bonds, which offer lower risk and yields above 5%, while Thai stocks still await third-quarter 2026 earnings. PTT Oil and Retail Business, or OR, sent positive signals as it prepares for a tourism recovery that is driving growth in jet fuel sales. It has also pinned its flag in Phuket and is pressing ahead with budget hotels, gradually opening them in 2027-2028, with a target of 50 locations by 2031. The first phase will pilot six model hotels in high-potential locations: Phuket, Kanchanaburi, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Songkhla (Hat Yai), Chonburi and Bangkok, to extend the business and turn PTT Station service stations into safe, standardized overnight stops nationwide. Meanwhile, ITEL won a big project from the Provincial Electricity Authority, or PEA, to organize communications cables across two regions, the central and southern regions, with a combined value of more than 266 million baht, reflecting confidence in its potential and experience in managing communications infrastructure, and positioning it to pursue future telecommunications infrastructure projects. WP completed its share buyback plan as scheduled, repurchasing the full 15,000,000 shares, or 2.94%, for an investment value of 57.08 million baht. CEO Chomkamol Poompanmoung is confident the move will build investor confidence and lift return on equity and earnings per share, while the company proceeds with this year's business plan, targeting LPG sales of 770,000 tons and focusing on expanding the domestic market alongside its rooftop solar business. BA, Bangkok Airways, is passing on something special to thank passengers on the occasion of winning the World's Best Regional Airline and Best Regional Airline in Asia awards from the SKYTRAX World Airline Awards for the 10th consecutive year, with the Lucky TEN campaign, building on the Thank You for 10 Amazing Years campaign launched last September. It invites passengers to join a draw for the right to buy tickets at a special 90% discount, or pay only 10% of the Web Promo (P-Q Class) fare, on five domestic routes, limited to just 200 entitlements, from October 5-9, 2026 only.

Global Securities, or GBS, says King Gen Public Company Limited, or KGEN, is entering a turnaround phase, raising its stake in Omoda & Jaecoo Manufacturing (Thailand) Company Limited, which operates the electric vehicle plants for the OMODA JAECOO and CHERY brands, from the current 43.7% to 51% in early July, and then to 60% in late July to early August. This will shift revenue recognition from the share of profit of an associate to full consolidation of both revenue and profit. Management expects that after the stake increase, revenue will grow significantly year on year to 25 billion baht, with a net profit margin of 2.5-3.0%, or roughly 600-700 million baht. Previously, KGEN reported second-quarter 2026 profit of 37 million baht, up 171% quarter on quarter and 152% year on year, after losses in the first quarter of 2026 and the second quarter of 2025. The main driver was the share of profit from its investment in that associate, whose production line began operating on 20 April 2026, while revenue from sales and services grew to 227 million baht, up 8% quarter on quarter and 36% year on year. Bookings for JAECOO and OMODA electric vehicles at the Big Motor Sale 2026, held from 21-30 August 2026, totaled 5,028 units, with deliveries scheduled for September to October 2026, an additional factor supporting revenue and profit growth. The current share price still cannot be assigned a P/E ratio because the company has posted continuous losses from 2022 through the first six months of 2026, though earnings are expected to turn around from 2026 onward. The stock trades at a P/BV ratio of 2.58 times, above its one-year, two-year and three-year averages of 2.56, 2.30 and 2.10 times respectively.

Scholastic reported a first-quarter net loss of $71.2 million, or $3.77 per share, on revenue that slipped 4% to $216.8 million, while management left its full-year targets untouched. The quarter is the quietest stretch of Scholastic's year, making up only 14% of full-year revenue last year, so the real test is the fall, where Book Fairs bookings and fair counts are both running ahead of last year and the company is reaching new school communities including Christian schools. Content catalysts are stacking up: an HBO adaptation of Harry Potter arrives this Christmas, a new Dog Man title lands in November alongside a Hunger Games film, and entertainment revenue rose 48% to $20.1 million on heavier production activity. The balance sheet improved as net debt fell to $86.8 million from $242.8 million a year earlier, largely on sale-leaseback deals completed in December 2025, and the company bought back $25.8 million of its own stock during the quarter. Still, education revenue fell $9.7 million to $30.4 million amid higher district staffing costs and the end of ESSER pandemic relief funding in March, overhead climbed $5 million to $23.3 million, and free cash use for the quarter was $110.8 million, worse than last year's $100.2 million, leaving full-year adjusted EBITDA targets of $135 million to $145 million and free cash flow of $35 million to $40 million to be built on top of a first-quarter adjusted EBITDA loss of $63.6 million.

UOB Kay Hian Thailand has issued an analyst report forecasting the third-quarter 2026 results of ADVANC and TRUE, maintaining a buy rating on both stocks. The research team expects ADVANC to post a net profit of 13,340 million baht in the third quarter of 2026, up 11% year on year but down 3% quarter on quarter, with core service revenue from key segments at 45,830 million baht, up 5.1% year on year and up 1% quarter on quarter. The gross profit margin is expected to hold steady at 44.4%, and the quarter-on-quarter decline in profit stems from higher IT-related expenses. The team maintains its buy rating on ADVANC with a target price of 415 baht. For TRUE, the research team expects a net profit of 6,970 million baht in the third quarter of 2026, up 343% year on year and up 6% quarter on quarter. The year-on-year growth comes off a low base in the same period last year due to a single network outage incident, while the quarter-on-quarter profit growth is supported by the continued strength of most business operations. Core service revenue in the third quarter of 2026 is expected at 41,800 million baht, growing 1.3% year on year and up 1.0% quarter on quarter, driven by strong performance in the mobile, broadband, and television businesses. The team views the third quarter of 2026 as a low season, particularly for handset sales, since iPhone sales are likely to make a significant contribution in the fourth quarter of 2026. The research team maintains its buy rating on TRUE and raises its target price to 16.50 baht from 15.70 baht.

Zhejiang Publishing Media announced on September 30 that it plans to invest 100 million yuan to establish a wholly owned subsidiary, Zhejiang Wending Digital Intelligence Technology, to promote deep integration between its core publishing business and digital intelligence technologies. The new subsidiary has registered capital of 100 million yuan, with the company holding 60 percent directly, wholly owned subsidiary Zhejiang Xinhua Bookstore Group holding 20 percent, Zhejiang Education Publishing Group holding 10 percent, and Zhejiang Electronic Audio and Video Publishing House holding 10 percent. Funding comes from its own resources, and the subsidiary will be consolidated into the company's financial statements upon completion. On the same day, the company also announced a partnership with Dunhong Asset to launch the Zhejiang Publishing Future Venture Capital Fund Partnership. The fund has a planned size of 126 million yuan, and the company, as a limited partner, will subscribe 125 million yuan from its own funds, accounting for 99.21 percent of the fund's total committed capital. The fund will focus mainly on core technology research and development and industrial application in frontier technologies. Dunhong Asset was founded in 2015, with directly managed and co-managed funds totaling over 14 billion yuan in paid-in capital. Its core management includes CEO Yuan Guoliang and partners Xiong Jia and Yu Wenchao. In terms of performance, in the first half of 2026, Zhejiang Publishing Media achieved revenue of 4.607 billion yuan, down 9.5 percent year on year, and net profit attributable to the parent of 646 million yuan, down 4.4 percent year on year.

Truist Securities said Meta Platforms is gaining an early edge in the emerging AI-agent market through its large consumer audience and advertising ecosystem, even as OpenAI and Google appear to have stronger capabilities for open-ended reasoning. Truist said Meta's Muse and OpenAI's newly launched Dots are approaching the market from opposite directions, with Muse consumer-focused and expanding into small businesses while Dots is aimed initially at developers and power users. Truist sees Meta's biggest advantage as distribution rather than raw AI model power, noting Muse is integrated into platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp and can connect with business tools including Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva and Slack. Truist said Muse had recorded 2.8 million early downloads, giving Meta a potentially powerful distribution advantage as the agent market develops, though it noted both products remain very early, with Muse live for only a few weeks and Dots newly launched. Truist maintained its Buy rating on Meta and its $763 price target, versus a Sept. 29 price of $738.79, based on a five-year discounted cash-flow model.

Analysts raised their fair value estimate for Vodafone Group from £1.20 to £1.22, a roughly 2.2% increase, after what several banks described as stronger Q1 trading and a clearer view on the Vodafone Three stake acquisition. Berenberg lifted its price target to 140 GBp from 123 GBp, citing strong Q1 results especially in Vodacom and Germany and the acquisition of the 49% stake in Vodafone Three, while Goldman Sachs set a higher 155 GBp target and moved to a Buy rating, pointing to faster improvement in return on invested capital. New Street also moved to a Buy rating, and Morgan Stanley raised its target twice, from 105 GBp to 115 GBp and then to 125 GBp, though it kept an Equal Weight rating. The revised targets cluster in the £1.15 to £1.55 range. Alongside the fair value change, the model's revenue growth assumption shifted from roughly 5.17% to 5.33%, the net profit margin moved from about 7.95% to 6.94%, and the future P/E rose from about 8.9x to 10.5x, with the discount rate holding around 7.56%.

Alphabet reportedly won two separate US antitrust cases in late September, easing immediate legal pressure on Google. Google is helping form a cross industry coalition focused on AI data center development ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections, expected to address questions around power use, data sourcing and community impact from large scale AI computing hubs. The antitrust decisions support the view that Alphabet can keep rolling out AI powered features across Search, YouTube and Google Cloud without immediate structural remedies that break its distribution. The AI data center coalition cuts both ways, aligning with the potential to monetise AI infrastructure and long duration power contracts while spotlighting the risk that regulators and communities could still cap how far Alphabet can push energy hungry AI workloads. Analysts have already flagged regulatory pressure and high capital intensity as two of the biggest swing factors for the company.

Disney has reached a wide-ranging new content licensing agreement with Netflix, bringing a collection of movies and TV shows, including existing "Ice Age" films and the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series, to its rival streaming platform. The deal is set to bring a slate of Disney+ originals, Pixar movies, and 20th Century Studios titles to Netflix viewers globally, with title availability and launch timelines varying depending on the markets, according to a statement from the companies. Under the agreement, the first two seasons of the Disney+ original series "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" will be streaming on Netflix from Oct. 4 for three months as part of a promotional campaign ahead of its Season 3 premiere on Disney+ on Nov. 20. All five "Ice Age" films will also be available on Netflix worldwide beginning Oct. 4 in a separate promotional campaign ahead of the theatrical release of the franchise's sixth movie, "Ice Age: Boiling Point," on Feb. 5. Additionally, select Disney-branded films from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, including Oscar-winner "Soul," "Elio," and "Raya and the Last Dragon," will also be available for streaming on Netflix globally early next year.