NTC mulls using unused prepaid call value to develop service

Takorn Tantasit, deputy secretary-general of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), said yesterday the NTC was thinking about taking the amount remaining from service providers and spending it on developing the public telecom service.

The move follows requests by users of pre-paid mobile phones that cellular operators should return any outstanding amount if their service is cancelled or the customer switches from one network to another.

The NTC's view is that although some users want the remaining amount back, there are some who might not bother and this could be used to develop the public service.

Around 90 per cent of a total 50 million mobile-phone users in Thailand are prepaid subscribers.

In a separate matter, the NTC has asked its administrative office to set up a joint committee with the Special Investigation Department of the Justice Department to implement a Bt190-million cyber-crime suppression project, whose focus will range from drug-related crime to human trafficking and inappropriate website content.

The Special Investigation Department proposed the project to the NTC, as the project needs collaboration from Internet service providers.

The joint panel is expected to be set up within the next few months, Takorn said.