3G battle set to begin as real move and CAT are poised to launch service

The 3G-service battle looks set to intensify as Real Move and its 3G partner CAT Telecom are expected to announce the launches of commercial 3G services today and Wednesday, respectively.

Advanced Info Service (AIS) is also expected to fully launch 3G-900 MHz services this month.

After the official launch of |Real Move's services, TrueMove |will stop providing 3G services to |its customers as these will be replaced by those of Real Move.

The launch stems from deals between CAT and True Corp's subsidiaries, Real Move and Real Future, to jointly provide 3G services. CAT will wholesale its 3G capacity for Real Move to provide services for 14.5 years at a spectrum of 800 MHz. CAT will also resell services, mainly to corporate customers.

Real Move has gradually switched around 800,000 subscribers of Hutchison-CAT Wireless Multimedia's Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) cellular services to its 3G service, starting with heavy data users. CAT has also switched 400,000 of its own CDMA subscribers to use its own 3G services.

Under CAT's 3G network plan, 671 base stations would be rolled out in June, with a capacity to serve 700,000 customers and cover 13 per cent of the population.

Next month, it plans to increase the number of base stations to 2,763, with a capacity to serve 2.5 million customers and cover 29 per cent of the population.

The number of stations will then rise to 5,326 in December, with a capacity to serve 5 million customers and cover 70 per cent of the population.

Meanwhile, AIS has rolled out 1,884 more 3G base stations in Bangkok and major economic provinces to enable it to quickly expand its 3G services on top of the 131 existing stations in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Hua Hin and Chon Buri. It has provided the services on a commercial trial basis.

AIS will soon roam its 60,000 customers on TOT's existing and upcoming 3G-2.1GHz networks to allow them to enjoy data services.

CAT and TOT plan to allow their 3G customers to roam between each other's 3G networks.

Total Access Communication (DTAC) is still waiting for CAT's permission to commercially launch the 3G-800 MHz service, a change from the present service offered on a non-commercial trial basis.

DTAC is expanding 3G services to cover another 400 base stations in greater Bangkok, up from 36 stations, in the hope of soon receiving permission for a commercial-service launch.