DTAC upset over CAT Telecom role in IN True Move's 3G test

True Move and CAT yesterday jointly revealed the test launch of the 3G broadband cellular service.

DTAC chief commercial officer Thana Tienachariya said DTAC already sent a letter of complaint to CAT.

The state enterprise allocated 870.2MHz-884MHz and 834.2MHz-839MHz to True Move to try the service in Bangkok on a non-commercial basis for a specific period of time.

True Move CEO Supachai Chearavanont said his company has already installed 30 3G base stations in Bangkok, using the network of Chinese telecom supplier ZTE, for the service test.

CAT senior executive vice president Kajornsak Singhaseni said the spectrum belongs to CAT and it is within its own authority to award it to any cellular operator.

The allocation follows a CAT board meeting on December 11 that authorised True Move to run test services in Bangkok based on High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technology, he said.

CAT has agreed to work with True Move in line with the Private Participation in State Undertaking Act.

The National Telecommunications Commission already approved CAT's allocation of the 800 MHz spectrum to True Move for the service trial, he said. CAT granted DTAC and True their concessions and also owns the 800MHz spectrum.

DTAC still uses some bands in the 800MHz spectrum, which CAT granted to True Move, to provide analogue cellular service to what it claims are about 10,000 users. But Kajornsak said CAT found that the real figure was only 100 users.

True Move needs the 800MHz spectrum to provide the 3G service on the iPhone mobile phones it will launch here tomorrow.

DTAC has planned to commercially launch the 3G service on its own 800MHz band. But recently it said the schedule is likely to be delayed from the original launch date of next quarter, due to the regulatory uncertainty.

The commercial launch is pending the opinion of the Council of State on how the public-private joint venture committee overseeing DTAC's concession should develop a contract to cover the 3G service.

In the letter DTAC sent to CAT yesterday, it said CAT does not have any right to approve the use of such frequency band by True Move because CAT and DTAC have not reached an agreement on certain conditions to its HSPA upgrade and frequency re-allocation.

CAT has no right to allow True Move to use the frequency band that DTAC is currently and legally entitled to under the concession, it said.

DTAC has also not authorised or entered into any agreement with True Move allowing True Move to use, temporarily or permanently, the frequencies in the 850 band that DTAC has the right to use under the concession, it added.