NBTC to inspect sites as network problem recurs

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) suspects that problems experienced by Total Access Communication (DTAC)'s mobile network on January 5 were the result of network mismanagement, rather than technical glitches as claimed by the firm.

NBTC secretary general Takorn Tantasit said yesterday that the agency would send staff to examine DTAC's main mobile-switching centre in Surat Thani this weekend, and its centre in Bangkok on Monday, to evaluate the way DTAC handles its operations.

DTAC customers experienced problems making calls in seven provinces in the South and in some parts of Bangkok on January 5.

The NBTC yesterday called on DTAC to identify the cause of the problem. DTAC sent Darmp Sukontasap, newly appointed chief corporate affairs officer, to explain. Chief executive officer Jon Eddy Abdullah is on vacation in the US.

The DTAC executive told the NBTC its mobile-switching centre in Surat Thani, which serves 900,000 customers in seven provinces, experienced technical problems on the afternoon of January 5, reducing the rate of successful calls in the area to between 50 and 60 per cent. The problem also led to call-traffic congestion throughout the entire network, with 1.8 million customers experiencing difficulties making calls on that day.

DTAC said it moved quickly to solve the problem, and the situation was back to normal that night. It said the problem at the Surat Thani centre arose in the course of an equipment upgrade. It suspended the upgrade temporarily, apologised to customers and said it would compensate those affected.

The NBTC, however, reportedly believes the problem at the switching system in the South stemmed from network mismanagement.

This is the second time the NBTC has called in DTAC officials regarding a network problem, after a reported technical glitch disrupted DTAC customers' ability to make calls from the night of December 20 to the early morning of December 21.