True offers its customers iPhones at 50-per-cent price
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The "TrueMove H" 3G cellular provider has launched a marketing campaign providing a sweet deal on iPhones exclusively for True customers to boost its subscription base.
The campaign came after the Senate anti-corruption and good governance committee recently found that part of the partnership deals signed by CAT Telecom and True group to provide the 3G-850MHz service might breach the Frequency Allocation Act.
True’s subsidiary, Real Move, which provides the “TrueMove H” 3G-850MHz broadband service, has about 800,000 subscribers.
Under the deals inked last January, CAT rents 3G network equipment from BFKT (Thailand), part of True group, to wholesale 3G bandwidth. CAT has wholesaled this 3G bandwidth to Real Move.
The Senate committee viewed that under the CAT-BFKT network rental deal, CAT seems to agree to allow BFKT to manage part or all of its 850MHz spectrum. This might violate Article 46(2) of the frequency law, which prohibits NBTC licence holders like CAT and TOT from allowing other parties to control their spectrum use.
CAT and True have insisted that all the deals were made in full compliance with the law and regulations.
A True source said yesterday that despite all the probes into the deals, in the end, it is the court that will be the one to make the final judgement.
The CAT-BKT network lease also says that, if parts of the deal are later deemed invalid or against the law, both parties will try their best to rectify them.
TrueMove H’s campaign, which runs from next Tuesday to April 12, offers an iPhone 4S or iPhone 4 at half price for TrueOnline subscribers and TrueVisions’ platinum or gold package customers as long as they been subscribers of either TrueOnline or TrueVisions for more than 12 months.
They will be required to sign up for the TrueMove H’s XL Bt899 package for 18 months, then pay for the first seven months of service in advance.
For example, the iPhone 4 (8 gigabytes) will be available for Bt9,250 against the retail price of Bt18,500.
Papon Ratanachaikanont, assistant to the president/CEO and deputy group chief commercial officer of True Corp, said that of the about 800,000 eligible customers of TrueOnline and TrueVisions, half are expected to go for this deal.
