NBTC steps in after netizen finds out hotline numbers related to Covid not free
A netizen has expressed shock after finding out that the bed-finder hotline 1668 was not a toll-free number.
On Friday, a Facebook user (whose account was not revealed) had posted that his student had called the hotline, arranged by the Department of Medical Services, until the phone credit ran out.
“I doubted if it could be true, so I asked mobile service providers. Their answer was 'this line is not toll-free'. It costs THB1.50 per minute. Operator DTAC subtracts the minutes from the package first. The surplus charge will be per minute then. There is no information from other providers yet,” his post read.
The post also added that the hotline of the National Health Security Office was also not toll-free.
In response to this post, Prawit Leesatapornwongsa, the commissioner of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, admitted that the lines were not free of charge.
As of the press time, his organisation was negotiating with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, requesting exemption of calling fee for every number related to Covid-19.