Surprised more not heard of telecom deals
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3G deals from the closet? In a true democracy, state bodies like TOT and CAT have to do deals through open public bids, whether purchases or cooperation.
This transparent way of doing deals is of course there to avoid corruption and to ensure that state bodies are serving the nation and its people the best way, not serving the people in charge of the deals. Last year, suddenly and without any public notice, deals between TOT and AIS and CAT and True popped up in the newspapers. Secret, illegal deals from the closet? CAT, even then, both a state regulator and part of the 3G game at the same time. Amazing.
The whole telecom field needs a lot of control from outside to keep it clean. Just ask India. One of the world’s biggest corruption cases ever has happened there just now. Yes, in the mobile telephone sector. And of course, Thailand has its own telecom history.
The new NBTC seems to be on good democratic tracks. But, I am surprised how little attention the TOT/AIS and CAT/True deals have got in the media now and when the deals were done. The principle aspects of the two deals are important. They show that some people need lessons in what democracy is and what rules and principles you have to stick to in a democracy.
A Johnsen
Santo Domingo
