Meanwhile, a telecom-industry insider said government-guaranteed fair competition in the private sector would encourage equal telecom-service accessibility more effectively than a state-agency monopoly.

Egat governor Kraisri Karnasutra yesterday said the authority leased the previously idle part of its vast fibre-optic network to telecom operators.

If the government incorporates Egat's network into the planned pool, it should wait until lease contracts expire, he said.

Egat, together with the Metropolitan

and Provincial Electricity authorities,

recently won a 20-year National Telecommunications Commission approval to lease fibre-optic network to telecom providers.

The Council for National Security (CNS), TOT, CAT Telecom and the Information and Communications Technology Ministry this week agreed to establish a holding company to consolidate and manage the networks of TOT, CAT, their private telecom concessionaires, Egat and the electricity authorities.

The CNS said the "network pool" would maximise telecom networks for public benefit and enhance national security. A joint TOT and CAT committee will thrash out details for the company starting next Monday.

The industry insider said the government should encourage fair competition in the private sector and strengthen the national regulator if it wanted to ensure access to telecommunications services. That would be preferable to state-agency monopoly management of the country's telecom networks, said the source.

"You should let fair-competition mechanisms do the job," the source added.

The CNS move is in line with TOT intentions to take over management of its own private concessionaires' networks and lease these back to them and other new players.

The CNS believes a pool will reduce redundant network investment by the state. The industry source argued it was better to make network investment and operation the responsibility of the private sector. This is the status quo.

"Private operators are much more efficient and flexible in managing networks, and this will benefit consumers," said the source.

He failed to see how a network pool would enhance national security. Those seeking to do the country harm could use any modern technology to tap telecom networks, he said.

True CEO Supachai Chearavanont agreed the pool would solve the redundant network problem but suggested only networks shared by all operators be included.

He added that each operator should be allowed to manage the last-mile network so they could compete on services.

Business Reporters

The Nation