TOT and AIS sign on to Bt20 billion agreements
TOT has partnered with Advanced Info Services (AIS) in striking agreements worth more than Bt20 billion that cover the rental of telecommunications equipment and roaming telecommunication services.
TOT president Monchai Noosong said that the deal with AIS would involve the rental of telecoms equipment for use on TOT’s 2100-MHz spectrum capacity on the 15 MHz frequency.
The eight-year rental term starts this year and comes to more than Bt10 billion. It will help TOT to expand its mobile communication network and provide commercial 4G service on TOT’s 2100-MHz spectrum.
Under the corporation, the TOT will have more than 25,000 mobile base network stations. TOT will use around 20 per cent of total capacity to provide mobile phone services and support subscribers nationwide. It now has around 5,000 mobile base network stations across the country.
Monchai that the firm has around 100,000 mobile phone subscribers and will able to increase this number to around two million within three years.
“The eight-year agreement will also improve the speed of non-voice communication services and improve the quality of services to customers. TOT will also provide mobile phone services for around one million low-income users,” said Monchai.
He said the company would set aside 80 per cent of the telecom equipment for AIS's rental, in using TOT’s 2100-MHz spectrum capacity.
This will enable AIS to provide mobile phone services on TOT's 2100-MHz spectrum to its mobile subscribers nationwide, The firm will get revenue from the AIS rental agreement to the tune of Bt14 billion. The company’s revenue gained from AIS will total around Bt3.9 billion.
Monchai said that the company would this year sign a partnership agreement with AIS for a further two projects, including one that inolves rental income from the use of telecommunications tower and from TOT's 2G telecoms equipment.
The firm will also strike another partnership contract with the third-largest mobile operator, Total Access Communication (DTAC), this year for 4G services on the state telecom agency's 2300-megahertz spectrum.
Weerawat Kiattipongthaworn, chief corporate officer of AIS, said that the company has more than 25,000 mobile network base stations and it plans to continue investments on such stations in order to improve the quality of telecommunications and mobile phone services nationwide.
