True, AIS battle for 2G subscribers intensifies
The battle between Advanced Info Service and True Corp for AIS’ existing 11 million 2G subscribers has aggravated, going from simple marketing campaigns to recent complaints over unfair practices to the watchdog and now to the police.
True will file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Police Division today on AIS’ alleged blocking of AIS 2G subscribers from contacting the 1331 mobile phone number of the True mobile phone service call centre in many provinces. It said the incident has affected its services.
Recently, True asked the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission to probe what it claims were outgoing calls of AIS’ 2G subscribers to its 1131 call centre, which were eventually redirected to the AIS call centre instead, according to True director and head of strategic policy development Dr Athip Asvanund. It also asked the watchdog to probe why AIS 2G subscribers, who live in some areas, have allegedly experienced low successful call rates when contacting True’s call centre,
NBTC commissioner Prawit Leesatapornwongsa said he has already instructed NBTC officials to look into the cases.
When asked about this case, one AIS executive, who declined to be named, said that the redirecting practice is to inform the 2G subscribers to rush to port their mobile phone numbers from AIS’ 900MHz network to that of its subsidiary Advanced Wireless Network (AWN) before they are disconnected. Moreover, the practice does not redirect only the 2G subscribers’ calls to the True call centre but any destined numbers.
Recently AIS and Total Access Communication complained to the watchdog that True’s campaign to allow AIS 2G subscribers to port their mobile phone numbers at the vast network of 7-Eleven stores nationwide seems not to comply with NBTC porting rules, given the lack of available official papers for customers to sign on at 7-Elevens.
The watchdog viewed that the practice complies with rule, citing that it would suffice for the mobile-phone subscribers to show their ID cards to make the porting.
AIS earlier operated its cellular service on 900MHz. After its concession ended last September, the watchdog reclaimed the spectrum for auction. True and Jasmine International each won the 900MHz licence in the auction last December.
Once any of the two winners pays the first instalment of licence upfront, the NBTC will grant the licence to it, which means AIS will have to switch off its 900MHz service. This has forced AIS to offer heavy promotional campaigns to woo its 2G subscribers to the AWN network. Over this week, True launched a |campaign to woo this customer group to its network.
