AIS loses case against NBTC, slapped with THB100,000 daily fine
Thailand’s leading telecom operator Advanced Info Service Plc (AIS) on Friday lost its appeal against the penalty imposed on it by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
As per the Supreme Administrative Court, AIS is required to pay an administrative fine of 100,000 baht per day calculated from May 30, 2012, onwards.
NBTC first castigated AIS on May 15, 2012, for allegedly violating the 2006 Notification of the National Telecommunications Commission, which stops service providers from forcing users to use up talk-time within a specified period.
AIS had set up a promotion for pre-paid users in which a 50-baht top-up would last for five days, a 300-baht top-up for 30 days, a 500-baht top-up for 350 days and a 1,500-baht top-up for 365 days.
NBTC first wrote to AIS on May 15, 2012, demanding that the company adjust the campaign in line with the notification. When it did not get a response, NBTC sent another letter on May 30, 2012, saying the penalty had been increased to 100,000 baht per day.
AIS, however, called on the Supreme Administrative Court to get NBTC to revoke its order because it claimed the order contradicted the law.
However, the court upheld NBTC’s order, saying the 100,000 baht per day penalty did not contradict the law and that the AIS had earned a lot of money from the promotion.