NBTC to advise players on its plan for expiry of concessions
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission will call a meeting on June 4 of all state and private telecom parties to explain its preparations for the expiration of the 1,800-megahertz concessions of TrueMove and Digital Phone Co (DPC) on
Settapong Malisuwan, chairman of the NBTC’s telecom committee, said his panel would explain to them the draft of measures to protect the combined 18 million subscribers of TrueMove and DPC. This will enable the involved parties – TrueMove, DPC, and concession owner CAT Telecom – to prepare for the transition.
An NBTC source said that according to the draft, the concession holder, CAT in this case, will have a role in leasing the existing network to a party to provide service to customers for a certain period. The NBTC will announce which party it will assign to take care these customers.
This party will not be allowed to acquire new subscribers to add to the existing 18 million but will have to encourage them customers to transfer to other networks as much as possible, and the party will shoulder the cost of those transfers. It will have to propose to the NBTC how it intends to do this.
This party will also have to pay the spectrum and licence fees to provide the service to TrueMove-DPC customers.
CAT and True are both eager to be the party assigned to take care of these 18 million customers.
The NBTC will complete at least 60 days before the September 15 expiry date the auction plan for the 1,800MHz spectrum. It has ordered CAT to complete 30 days before the concession’s expiry its plan to protect TrueMove-DPC customers.
This draft of the measures protecting DPC and TrueMove subscribers will also be applied to the future expiration of all state cellular concessions.
