Telecoms may be asked to offer service interruption insurance
Takorn Tantasit, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, says he will propose that the three companies planning to provide third-generation cellular service on the 2.1-gigahertz spectrum be required to offer servi
Operators would pay a premium to insurance companies to cover damages suffered by cellular subscribers when their 3G networks fail.
Takorn said the insurance would be optional, and the cost added to the monthly service fee of subscribers who choose it. Other countries have adopted similar insurance schemes, he said.
If the idea is accepted, the NBTC office will find out which international insurance firms in Thailand are willing to offer this kind of coverage.
Takorn said consumers should be compensated for the loss of business opportunity when networks fail.
Premiums would depend on the reliability of the insured network.
The three prospective 3G operators are Advanced Wireless Network, DTAC Network, and Real Future. The NBTC has yet to grant the 2.1GHz-3G licences to them.
