AIS airs misgivings at 1st Focus Group public hearing on True-Dtac merger

Opinions from different sectors were heard at the first Focus Group hearing organised on Monday by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). The hearing ran from 8.30am to 1pm.

True Corporation and Total Access Communication (Dtac) sent their representatives to the meeting to defend the amalgamation plan, while their rival Advanced Info Services sent its head of business development, Saran Phaloprak.

Saran told the meeting that NBTC, as the telecom watchdog, should take action to ensure the telecom industry remains competitive.

He said this merger would cut the number of key players from three to two and create a duopoly in the telecom business.

Saran also pointed out that NBTC will not be able to issue any measures that bring market conditions back to their original state once the merger takes place.

Hence, he said, the telecom watchdog should deliberate the merger plan with transparency and utmost prudence.

However, other participants, who are mostly business partners of the two telecom operators in the provinces and representatives of related associations, openly voiced support for the merger.

They said the mobile-phone signals of Dtac and True did not cover all areas upcountry and believe that bringing the two service providers together would improve coverage.

They also believe the merger will reduce operating costs as well as the burden on retail shops that sell SIM cards.