Tot Finally Agrees To Allocate More Mobile Numbers

[george]

TOT finally agrees to allocate numbers

BANGKOK: -- TOT Corporation will finally allocate new numbers to the three largest mobile phone operators, after sitting on the requests for a year.

Each operator will receive one million new numbers, far short of their requested amounts. Market leader AIS and second-ranked DTAC both wanted two million new numbers while third-ranked TA Orange had sought 1.5 million.

TOT president Teerawit Charuwat said the allocations would help relieve the number shortages faced by the operators until the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) sets the new numbering framework sometime next year.

Of the new numbers, one million will have a 031 prefix, another one million 033 and the remaining one million numbers will either start with 04 or 05.

Mr Teerawit said the TOT board approved the allocations based on the stipulation that the operators utilised a minimum of 70% of their existing allocation.

This has been a contentious issue between TOT and the cellphone operators.

Earlier, DTAC said it was utilising 11.7 million numbers, of which more than 85% had been allocated to its 8.2 million clients while TA Orange claimed an allocation rate above 70% of its 6.5 million allotted numbers and AIS said it was using 70% of its 22 million allotted numbers.

But TOT had questioned these figures saying the usage rate was below 70% based on access charge payments under concession agreements.

"As of June 30, however, all three operators' figures met our requirement based on the access charges they have paid us in relation to their subscribers," Mr Teerawit said, adding that the new numbers would bring in more revenue to TOT.

The mobile phone operators can begin applying for new numbers today.

Mr Teerawit also said that the TOT board had agreed to allocate shares to employees who had been working there since May 2003, once it lists of the Stock Exchange of Thailand later this year.

--Bangkok Post 2005-07-18