The telecom industry is poised to undergo a transformation in the second half of the year, with National Telecommunications Commission deadlines for many changes coming due during that period.
Thana Thienachariya, head of corporate affairs and strategy at Total Access Communication (DTAC), yesterday said the NTC intended to call an auction of thirdgeneration (3G) licences in September. It will also require telecom operators to get the mobilenumber portability (MNP) system off the ground on August 31.
MNP will give mobilephone users the right to maintain their existing phone numbers after switching to a different network.
The NTC board has also said from August 31, mobilephone operators must adjust the rates for subscribers calling within their own networks to match those for calling other networks.
DTAC chief executive Tore Johnsen said DTAC was financially ready to bid for a 3G 2.1gigahertz spectrum licence.
But he questioned one condition in the NTC's 3Glicensing plan that requires licenceowners to set aside maximum network capacity of 40 per cent for leasing to other firms to provide 3G service on a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) basis.
Johnsen said the NTC did not yet know how many telecom operators would receive the licences or what the service demand would be by the time of licensing.
MVNOs do not have their own network, but rather lease other telecom operators' networks to provide service.
The NTC will put the 3Glicensing plan up for its first public hearing this month. It will auction three licences, with bids starting at Bt10 billion per licence. Each one will feature 15 megahertz of bandwidth for a 15year term.