The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) will draft a standard contract and conditions for the provision of all telecom services as part of its consumer protection measures.

Current telecom law requires the NTC to create a standard contract format and conditions regarding the supply of telecom services by operators, according to Sudharma Yoonaidharma, an NTC commissioner.

He added that the NTC is expected to discuss the terms and conditions for contracts next Tuesday. After completing a draft, the NTC will ask all telecom operators for their opinions.

He said that consumers would be protected by the contract on the day they buy telecom services and can refer to the contract if they file lawsuits against their telecom providers.

The NTC will also work out the maximum tariffs of all telecom services as required by Section 55 of the telecom law as well as Section 57.

Section 57 prohibits NTC licensees from charging customers more than the maximum rates set by the regulator.

Sudharma said that the NTC would ask all telecom operators to present the costs of their services and the maximum fees of each of their existing and upcoming services for its approval. This is to prevent them from overcharging consumers.

If a telecom operator has various promotional packages for the same kind of service, the operator has to submit the service cost of such packages to the NTC as well.

Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation