CAT opposes four-digit prefixes for international calling
CAT Telecom opposes a plan by the national telecom regulator to replace existing international-call prefixes with new four-digit numbers, saying the move would confuse consumers.
The state agency said such a change would require a great deal of additional expenditure on a public campaign to explain the new system.Early this month, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) threatened to replace international-call prefixes with new four-digit numbers in a bid to force TOT and CAT to give back some of their three-digit numbers. Faced with the possibility of receiving new applications to run international calling services, the NTC has found itself with only one three-digit prefix - 006 - left for newcomers, so it has asked both state agencies to return some of their inactive three-digit numbers. Although the NTC could introduce new prefix numbers, it prefers to stick with three-digit numbers for the sake of its national plan. The commission told CAT and TOT that if it could not get some three-digit numbers back and had to introduce four-digit numbers, then that would mean all international-call operators would have to use them. CAT uses 001 and 009 for dialling abroad and 004 for its incoming roaming service. It plans to move the incoming roaming service to another number so it can return 004 to the NTC. TOT uses 007 for regular international calls and 002 for Internet protocol-based international calls. The country's second-largest cellular operator, Total Access Communication (DTAC), has already applied for an NTC licence to offer international calling services, while Triple T Global and True are also interested in applying.
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