AIS launches new unit for world calls
An International call-service subsidiary of Advanced Info Service (AIS) was officially launched yesterday, aimed at acquiring 15 per cent of the market by year-end.
Weerachai Patcharopartwong, general manager of AIN Global Comm, formerly known as AIS International Network, said the company would focus on service quality instead of pricing. He declined to specify the marketing budget and revenue target this year, adding only that AIN was targeting a market share of 10 15 per cent this year. CAT Telecom now dominates the international call-service market. AIN offers the service through the 005 prefix. Only customers of AIS and its cellular subsidiary, Digital Phone (DPC), can access the service, which covers 230 destinations. Weerachai said the company was in talks with the other telecom operators to link their customers with its international calling network. AIS and DPC combined have more than 20 million mobile-phone customers. AIN operates the service under licence from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). It is wholly owned by AIS and has Bt200 million in capital. The NTC also granted a similar international call licence to Total Access Communication, which is expected to introduce the service soon, leading to fiercer market competition. AIS president Wichian Mektrakarn yesterday said AIS was informing its subscribers that they would soon be able to enter the symbol "+", followed by the destination number, to make international calls over the AIN network. In March, CAT complained to the NTC that AIS had failed to inform its mobile-phone subscribers during an AIN service trial that if they used the "+" symbol to make international calls, they would be routed through AIN's network rather than through CAT's as usual. AIN tested its service from March 1-15. CAT claimed this would confuse callers, because the AIS website still advised that entering the "+" symbol was the same as entering the 001 international calling code to make calls via CAT. AIS argued it sent a short message to its customers informing them of the trial of the international call service, although it did not contact all 20 million customers. In any case, customers who used the "+" symbol were diverted to CAT's network as usual after AIN finished the service trial.
Sirivish Toomgum The Nation
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