Cellphone operators can't meet deadline

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is expected to put the MNP regulations in effect within this month, which would allow mobile-phone service subscribers the option of switching networks and keep their existing mobile-phone numbers.

Under the MNP draft regulations, it is mandatory for cellular operators to complete their network upgrades and create a clearinghouse within three months after the regulation has been put in place. Creating a clearinghouse will facilitate mobile-phone number portability and settle porting fees for each operator. NTC might consider relaxing the timeframe if the cellular operators can come up with a valid explanation for their failure to meet the deadline.

Tore Johnsen, chief executive officer of Total Access Communication (DTAC), said it was impossible to have a clearinghouse up and running in three months. He said each cellular operator had to first make necessary upgrades in their networks, which may be different pending on the

status of each network.

"Plus each operator has to make necessary changes in their customer-support systems to make porting possible in an efficient manner. Again the task may be different pending on the status of each operator's system," he added.

Once all cellular operators have upgraded their network and support system, and once the clearinghouse is ready, tests have to be performed to make sure it works according to specifications.

In addition, cellular operators have to train their customer-service outlets to handle porting requests by the mobile-phone subscribers.

He said all these tasks are quite time consuming and everything has to be completed before mobile-phone number portability can be operational.

The cellular operators' working group assigned to create the clearinghouse has completed draft specifications and operational procedures, but these have to be evaluated and streamlined according to NTC's requirements.

Wichian Mektrakarn, president of Advanced Info Service (AIS), said that once the MNP regulations take effect, AIS would tell the NTC that it might not be able to complete all the tasks within the deadline.

He said it would be better for the NTC to use its previous MNP draft version, which gave cellular operators a whole year, instead of just three months, to complete the tasks.

"We need time to buy the relevant equipment and upgrade the network software - a process that requires at least 10 months," he added.

AIS is expected to spend US$10 million (Bt341 million) on the equipment and software upgrade, with the rest being contributed to the creation of a central clearinghouse with the other cellular operators.

Athueck Asvanand, vice chairman of True, said his company wanted to ask NTC when it would be ready to determine the porting fees.

NTC's previous draft regulations set the fee at Bt300 per porting, but some consumers said this was too high and should be waived. As a result, the final MNP draft regulation does not mention fee, which NTC is expected to come up with later.

Once the MNP regulations take effect, NTC officials will begin to draw up regulations on the portability of fixed telephone lines.