3G: NBTC panel, operators to iron out problems before debut
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The telecom committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) will meet with cellular operators tomorrow to seek ways to resolve outstanding problems before the official debut of 2.1-gigahertz broadband service by its three l
Telecom panel chairman Settapong Malisuwan yesterday said the watchdog would seek an agreement among five telecom operators as how they would jointly expand the capacity of their mobile-phone number portability from the current combined 4,000 per day.
Number portability enables customers to switch to different networks without having to lose their existing mobile-phone numbers in the process.
Settapong said the committee would also inform Advanced Info Service (AIS), Total Access Communication (DTAC) and True Corp of its principles governing the promotional packages of the 2.1GHz cellular service to be officially launched by their three subsidiaries next week.
The three 2.1GHz licence-holders are AIS’s Advanced Wireless Network, True’s Real Future, and DTAC Network.
The average third-generation service fee of all combined promotional packages of each of the three subsidiaries holding 2.1GHz licences must be 15 per cent lower than the average voice and data service fee of all existing second-generation service fees as of December 7, 2012, which was when the NBTC granted the 2.1GHz licences to the subsidiaries.
The committee will take one month to collect data from the three businesses about their 3G service fees, he added.
Settapong acknowledged, however, that not all upcoming 2.1GHz service packages would offer fees below 15 per cent.
If the 2.1GHz operators offer existing 2G service packages, the service fee of each of the packages must be lowered by 15 per cent from the present rate.
The committee will take about 16 months to finalise the maximum 2.1GHz service-fee benchmark for the industry.
The panel tomorrow will also encourage all telecom businessess, including 2.1GHz operators, to enter into negotiations to create new bilateral agreements on the network interconnection rate.
The interconnection charge is what the networks of callers pay to the networks of call receivers on a mutually agreed basis.
Settapong said they wanted to adopt a new rate of 45 satang per minute of call.
AIS, DTAC and TrueMove currently charge each other Bt1 per minute as an interconnection rate. They also each charge CAT Telecom 50 satang per minute, while the state agency charges them the same fee.
The three 2.1GHz licence-holders charge each other 45 satang per minute.
