TOT users drop service over govt

TOT chairman Teravuti Boonyasopon yesterday declined to confirm the news but admitted that the incident would have some impact on TOT.

"I don't want to talk about this," he said.A TOT source confirmed the cancellations.

A large crowd of TOT and CAT Telecom union workers had welcomed Somchai with hand clappers, jeers and boos.

TOT has installed 4.5 million lines, with 3.7 million serving households.

TOT's board yesterday reported its six-month performance to the press, a week after ICT Minister Mun Patanotai disclosed his intention to merge the boards of TOT and CAT to improve the operating efficiency of the two giant state enterprises.

TOT targets to earn Bt5.4 billion on revenue of Bt51 billion this year versus Bt6.2 billion from Bt50 billion last year. The net profit decline is due to extraordinary expenses from the early-retirement programme.

Of revenue forecast this year, Bt27 billion will come from TOT's operations and the rest from concessions.

In the first nine months, TOT made Bt4.3 billion from revenues of Bt39 billion, of which Bt21 billion was from TOT's operation and more than Bt16 billion from concession holders.

Of the concession revenue, about Bt14 billion was paid by Advanced Info Service and the rest by True Corp and TT&T.

TOT said one of its major achievements was drafting the 3G mobile broadband network plan, which was blessed by the Cabinet in August. TOT will spend Bt29 billion to roll out the network nationwide for lease to telecom operators.

TOT is waiting for the National Telecommunications Commission to approve CAT's plan to transfer its part ownership in the 1900MHz spectrum to TOT, which will become the sole owner.

TOT will employ the band to provide the 3G service.

TOT is waiting for its board to give the go ahead to its turnaround plan, which targets by 2011 adding 3 million home telephone subscribers, expanding its broadband Internet subscriber base to 3.3 million from the present 600,000 and earning a net profit of Bt11.018 billion.