TOT’s 3G-2.1GHz service goes national
STATE telecom agency TOT has expanded its 3G-2.1 gigahertz broadband service coverage from greater Bangkok to nationwide by roaming with the 3G-2.1GHz nationwide network of Advanced Wireless Network (AWN) of Advanced Info Service (AIS).
This move is part of their partnership to provide the 3G service on a six-month trial period, with the contract signed in September. The official permanent contract is expected to be signed after the trial period.
The senior executive vice president of TOT’s mobile unit, Rungsun Channarukul, said that both partners had technically finished the network roaming.
The partnership involves TOT’s existing 5,320 cellular base stations in greater Bangkok and AWN’s 10,000 cellular base stations nationwide, out of the company’s total |of over 20,000 base stations.
Earlier TOT roamed its 3G users with AIS’s nationwide network but for only the voice service.
The partnership with AWN means the 3G customers of TOT and those of its three mobile virtual-network-operator (MVNO) partners can enjoy both voice and mobile data services on the involved AWN network.
TOT’s 3G service has around 60,000 users, while its MVNO partners have a combined 70,000 users. They are Samart i-Mobile, Loxley, and Mobile 8 Telco (Thailand) – the latter formerly known as IEC Technology.
More MVNO partnerships likely
Mobile 8 Telco’s major shareholder is Enabling Asia Tech (Thailand), which is a subsidiary of Malaysian MVNO Enabling Asia Tech.
Rungsun said that after TOT signs the official 3G partnership contract with AWN, the state agency will be open for more MVNO partners by the second quarter of next year.
During the six-month trial period, AWN will also roam its subscribers with all 15 megahertz of 2.1GHz of TOT.
AWN agreed to pay a monthly roaming fee of Bt325 million, excluding VAT, to TOT during the period.
Currently, AWN has 10MHz of 900MHz, 15MHz of 1800MHz and 15MHz of 2.1GHz.
Rungsun said that next year TOT’s mobile-phone service unit was expected to post total revenue of Bt15 billion, of which Bt14 billion would be contributed from the wholesale of 80 per cent of its 2.1GHz bandwidth to AWN. The rest will be from its own 3G service and the 3G services of its MVNO partners.
Rungsun said that TOT has revised its plan to invest in a 4G service using 60MHz bandwidth of its 2.3GHz.
It will submit the plan to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission for consideration.
Recently the regulator asked TOT to revise the original plan of its 4G business investment, citing that the plan fails to ensure efficient spectrum use.
