Network reliability measures set
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The telecom committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission yesterday launched three measures to ensure that state and private telecom operators maintain the quality of their cellular networks.
The short-, medium- and long-term measures took effect immediately, NBTC deputy secretary-general Prasert Apipunya said yesterday.
The short-term measure obliges all cellular operators to inform the NBTC in advance before making any change or upgrade to their networks that might have an impact on their customers. They also must inform their customers in advance regarding their plans for upgrades or other network changes. Once a network problem occurs, they must notify their customers within 30 minutes.
According to the medium-term measure, the NBTC will regularly conduct tests to monitor network quality. Currently the commission conducts a standard test of the quality of services every three months.
As a long-term measure, the watchdog will revise its existing regulations governing voice-service quality to enable it more effectively to enforce an administrative order on operators who fail to maintain network quality.
The watchdog has also finished the draft of regulations governing data-service quality, which will be put for public hearing on January 27, said NBTC telecom committee chairman Colonel Settapong Malisuwan.
The telecom committee yesterday called on all cellular operators to familiarise themselves with the three measures.
He added that the NBTC would seriously and strictly implement these three measures or it would face criticism of being a paper tiger.
The watchdog is now more serious on cellular-network quality, after the network problems faced by Total Access Communication (DTAC) three times during the past several weeks, causing calling difficulties for a number of its subscribers.
In a separate matter, Digital Phone Co will jointly test its offering of fourth-generation cellular broadband service with CAT Telecom on the 1,800-megahertz spectrum on January 30 in Maha Sarakham province. Advanced Info Service and TOT will jointly provide 4G service on a trial basis on the 2.3-gigahertz spectrum on the same day in Bangkok.
The NBTC has permitted cellular operators to test 4G service on both spectra.
