True reassures customers

Adhiruth Thotaveensaksuk, managing director for mobile-phone business at True Corp, said the firm has taken steps to ensure that TrueMove’s 17 million customers will not be affected by the end of the concession.

However, True is waiting for the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to make a final decision on which party it will assign to take care of TrueMove customers who fail to migrate to other networks on time once TrueMove’s concession ends on September 15. 

Besides TrueMove, True has two other cellular subsidiaries, Real Move and Real Future. 

Real Move has provided third-generation service on 850 megahertz service under a CAT Telecom resale contract using the TrueMove H brand. The existing 3G network under the Real Move-CAT partnership can serves 13 million clients. Currently, Real Move has about 3 million customers. Real Future is setting up a 3G network nationwide on the 2.1-gigahertz spectrum. 

The NBTC last week set up a working panel to draw up measures to mitigate the effects on TrueMove and Digital Phone Co (DPC) customers of the expiration of the two companies’ concessions this coming September 15. The panel will decide within the next three months who will be assigned to take care of the companies’ customers during the one-year transition period after the concessions expire.

CAT is using all possible means to keep the 1,800MHz spectrum it granted to TrueMove and DPC to provide cellular service. In defending its claim to the spectrum, CAT has cited the need to continue serving those customers who do not switch to other networks after the concessions expire.