NTC gives licence for MEA fibre optics
The National The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) yesterday granted a licence to the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) to provide fibre-optic network leasing services, which will provide telecom operators with a new choice for service.
The licence follows an agreement this week by the Council for National Security, TOT, CAT Telecom and the Information and Communications Technology Ministry to set up a holding firm to manage the telecom networks of state telecom agencies and state electricity enterprises. The MEA is ready to comply with the government's plan if it wants to incorporate the fibre-optic network into the planned telecom network pool, MEA governor Pornthape Thunyapongchai said. NTC chairman Choochart Promphrasid said the licence provides the country with a new option for telecom network services. The licence is valid for 20 years and costs the MEA 3 per cent of its annual revenue. The state enterprise will offer leases only to NTC licensees. Pornthape said that many companies - including Symphony, Advanced Datanetwork Communications and TT&T - had approached the MEA about the leasing service. It is waiting for the NTC to approve its leasing rate. The MEA will lease its fibre-optic network and low-voltage power line to provide telecom services, including video conferencing, Internet calling, and broadband Internet service over both the fibre-optic network and the power lines. The service will start in the first quarter next year and targets Bt130 million of revenues in the first year.
Usanee Mongkolporn The Nation
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