TOT president Somkual Buraminhentr said yesterday that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) had asked TOT to explain next Thursday its reasons for declining to accept the new phone numbers.

He said the NTC had also ordered TOT to accept 1.5 million new numbers from DTAC and the same number of new numbers from True Move by January 17, or it might face a fine or lose its telecom licence.

If TOT and the NTC cannot come to an agreement on Thursday, TOT would have to sue the NTC for violating the telecom law, he said.

While the law requires telecom licensees to allow access to their networks by other licensees, TOT does not regard the two cellular operators as NTC licensees, he said.

TOT is just complying with its agreements with the cellular firms operating on concessions from CAT Telecom - including DTAC and True Move - that new numbers will be accepted after the access charge is received, he added.

"Therefore, we'll accept their phone numbers once they both pay the charge to us," Somkual said.

The access charge is paid by all private cellular operators under CAT to TOT for transferring their calls to other networks.

A telecom needs all other operators to "translate" its new numbers into their switching system so the numbers can be recognised by their networks.

TOT's refusal to register the new numbers of DTAC and True Move means calls from other networks cannot reach the new numbers if such calls are relayed through TOT's network.

Subscribers to the new numbers have no problem calling any network, whether through TOT's network or through the direct links between DTAC or True Move and the other operators.

Users can receive or place calls to other networks if the calls bypass TOT and are routed through the direct links of DTAC or True Move with the other operators.

Somkual said DTAC and True Move should inform the subscribers of their new numbers that they would have some calls blocked. Thana Thienachariya, DTAC's chief commercial officer, said TOT could take legal action if it views that DTAC fails to comply with the access charge agreement.

DTAC plans to release its 1.5 million additional numbers to the market at the end of this month.

DTAC is not too concerned about TOT's boycott as most of its networks connect directly with other networks and only a few are linked via the state agency's facilities, Thana added.

Telecom Reporters

The Nation