CAT turns to NBTC over unpaid network fees
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CAT Telecom has asked the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to look into the alleged failure of TrueMove and Digital Phone Co (DPC) to pay CAT fees totalling Bt16 billion for use of the state agency's 1,800-megahertz cellular
Of that total, Bt12 billion is to be paid by TrueMove and the rest by DPC, CAT says.
Viroj Tochareonvanith, acting CAT president, said it had asked both cellular operators to pay the fees, but TrueMove replied that it had calculated that it owed only Bt700 million. DPC did not reply at all. This prompted the state agency to ask the NBTC to step in and look into the matter.
TrueMove’s and DPC’s concessions under CAT expired in September last year, but the NBTC permitted them to continue using CAT’s 1,800MHz network for one more year to serve mobile-phone customers who had yet to move to other networks.
Recently the NBTC granted a further one-year extension. This followed an edict by the military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order on July 17 compelling the commission to suspend the plan to auction the TrueMove-DPC 1,800MHz spectrum bands for one more year. Viroj said CAT wanted the NBTC to clear up this network-fee issue quickly.
Earlier TrueMove and DPC told the NBTC that both had suffered losses over the past year. In March alone, TrueMove made revenue of Bt282.8 million but lost Bt869 million. Currently it serves 4 million customers.
Last year CAT earned concession revenue of about Bt20 billion from Total Access Communication (DTAC), Bt8 billion from TrueMove and Bt4 billion from DPC.
But it has had to pass all concession revenue to the state since last December according to a requirement of the Frequency Allocation Act.
