CAT freezes network expansion
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CAT Telecom will suspend its plan to expand its 3G High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) network and related infrastructure under the CAT-True Corp group 3G service partnership deals, pending a complete probe of the legality of the deals by state authorities.
This is in line with the suggestion on May 10 by the National Social and Economic Development Board. CAT had sought NESDB’s approval to spend on the network expansion and the marketing of its 3G HSPA service under its My brand, which now has 50,000 customers.
CAT chief executive officer Kitisak Sriprasert said that the network expansion suspension will not affect the 3G-HSPA service provided by Real Move under the TrueMove H brand, which now has about 1 million users.
Recently CAT informed the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission about declining to pay a fee for mobile phone numbers used by My and TrueMove H brands, citing the probe of the CAT-True 3G service deals.
CAT and True’s subsidiaries, Real Move and Real Future, signed deals last January to collaborate on 3G wholesale-resale service. CAT has leased the HSPA network equipment from Real Future’s BFKT (Thailand) to generate 3G bandwidth for wholesale and part for its own resales under My brand. CAT has already leased 3G bandwidth to Real Move to provide retail service.
Lately, the subcommittee of the National Anti-Corruption Commission concluded that the state officials involved in the deals allegedly breached some law.
