According to the proposal by Surapol Srivithaya of the College of Social Innovation at Rangsit University, a National Telecom-munication Plc should be set up to manage the networks.

The company should be 53-per-cent owned by the public, 27 per cent by relevant state agencies, and the remainder by private telecom concessionaires.

"This will show that the plan is not a state monopoly but a cross-holding partnership," Surapol said at a seminar titled "Telecom Pool and Telecom Industry Direction", hosted yesterday by the National Legislative Assembly's consumer protection committee.

Surapol said he would also talk to TOT about his proposal.

TOT has initiated a plan to create a telecom holding company to manage the networks of TOT, CAT Telecom, their private telecom concessionaires, and state electricity enterprises, citing the need to maximise the country's telecom networks. It has proposed that the government hold 100 per cent in such a holding firm. Moreover, TOT plans to convert the existing concession contracts of its private concessionaires into network rental contracts, according to a plan to lease their own networks to them and interested firms.

But the Information and Communications Technology Ministry last week said the plan should include only the networks of TOT and CAT or the project will face criticism of monopoly.

Telecom experts have said the TOT initiative, which was revealed to the public last month, would spark concerns of nationalism among foreign investors.