3G News & Developments

[lomatopo]

3G hardware still stalled

The future of the new 3G wireless broadband project between CAT Telecom and True Corporation is cloudy as the acting National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission remains reluctant to allow the state telecom enterprise to import equipment.

True is worried that further delays will lead to increasing workload pressure and affect its ability to meet the service agreement with its concession owner CAT, said True vice-chairman Athueck Asvanont.

The NBTC, meanwhile, reiterated that it is willing to consider the issue. But as it is only an acting telecom regulator, it is not clear whether all five members will unanimously approve CAT's request to build a 3G wireless network.

The equipment is needed for an HSPA network based on the 850-Megahertz frequency, which would then be leased to Real Move, a unit of True Corp

more...

[lomatopo]

State agencies, not NTC, dragging feet on 3G

By USANEE MONGKOLPORN

THE NATION

Published on June 16, 2011

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) yesterday reaffirmed that it had supported all telecom operators in the development of third-generation wireless broadband services. It added that it was the state agencies that had moved slowly in developing 3G.

NTC commissioner Natee Sukonrat said the watchdog had promoted the 3G development by all telcos, but CAT Telecom had yet to submit a request to the commission for a permit to import, install and use HSPA (high-speed packet access) equipment for the planned network.

He said CAT had only requested an NTC permit to use its existing 850-megahertz spectrum to provide HSPA service, a switch from code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular service.

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[lomatopo]

Seriously ? Thailand to auction 3G licences in first quarter 2012

Thailands telecommunications and broadcasting regulator expects to auction off licenses to operate the frequency spectrum used for third-generation mobile phone services in the first quarter of 2012 at the earliest after outstanding legal issues are resolved, an acting member of the regulator said.

Do you really believe this ? Thailand 3G debacle has been the most laughable and ludicrous Thai soap for several years. Believe it or not but Thailand is actually the only Asean country without a commercially available 3G offer. Even Laos has one.

The long-delayed 3G service license auction has made Thailand among the last countries in Southeast Asia to fully deploy advanced wireless technology. The process has repeatedly been delayed due mainly to the absence of an independent body to regulate broadcasting frequencies, as well as changes in state administrations.

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[lomatopo]

News

NTC says CAT slow to roll out 3G

Thursday 16 June 2011 | 03:26 CET

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has said it supports the development of 3G services and that it is the state telecommunications firms that are slow to roll out the new services. NTC commissioner Natee Sukonrat said that CAT Telecom has yet to submit a request for a permit to import and install HSPA equipment, the Nation writes. The NTC has been seen as proceeding cautiously on 3G issues after CAT challenged its regulatory power at the Central Administrative Court last September. However, Natee said CAT only requested a permit to use its existing 850 MHz spectrum to provide HSPA-based services, switching from CDMA technology. Commissioner Suranan Wongvithayakamjorn said the NTC had consistently supported the operators wanting to provide 3G service.

http://www.telecompaper.com/news/ntc-says-cat-slow-to-roll-out-3g

[lomatopo]

Open Thought: Behind the Facade of the NTC soap opera

BY DON SAMBANDARAKSA – JUNE 16, 2011

POSTED IN: PUBLIC POLICY, TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Sometimes one wonders if certain individuals are just stupid or if they are putting on an elaborate play to mislead the people.

Back in September last year when the NTC was on the verge of auctioning off a (very badly designed) 2.1 GHz 3G auction, state owned CAT Telecom, fearful of losing its revenue share filed a gaggle of lawsuits with the administrative court to block the bid. It complained about everything from the earth to the moon and beyond, and it won an injunction.

Everyone in Thailand remembers that. Everyone also remembers that the NTC has since then gone into neutral gear and has been afraid of doing anything lest they do not have the authority to do so and has plunged the industry into chaos, more specifically the import licences for CAT’s 3G equipment.

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[lomatopo]

Top contenders say regulator a priority

NBTC formation could ease telecom disputes

Published: 17/06/2011 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Business

The most urgent task of the new government will to get the stalled National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission working in order to help the telecom industry progress, say the two major political parties.

Having the regulator in place will usher in a new licensing regime, encouraging competition, as the dispute-prone concession system winds down.

The change will challenge the two state telecom enterprises, TOT Plc and CAT Telecom, which rely heavily on concession revenue-sharing payments. They will be forced to become network providers instead of service providers.

In the absence of commercial 3G licensing, which has stalled amid endless legal disputes, TOT and CAT are being asked to take the lead in 3G wireless broadband network development for the benefit of the public and the country.

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[lomatopo]

DTAC asks court to act on all five points in its complaint against CAT

By The Nation

Published on June 18, 2011

Total Access Communication (DTAC) yesterday filed an appeal with the Central Administrative Court to take into consideration four of the five points in its April complaint against the CAT TelecomTrue group deals related to thirdgeneration wireless broadband service.

DTAC filed the fivepoint case against CAT and the state agency's board on April 25 in connection with the deals. The court last month accepted for judicial review only the first point, prompting DTAC to petition to the Central Administrative Court to accept the other four points too.

The first point in the complaint is DTAC's request for a court order to terฌminate the resolutions of the CAT board on January 14 allowing CAT to enter the deals for collaboration on 3G service development.

The other four points are its requests for a court order that CAT and the board stop honouring the deals and terminate them, while CAT must provide 3GHSPA (highspeed packet access) service on its 850megahertz spectrum on its own and act in accorฌdance with the 1992 PublicPrivate Joint Venture.

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[lomatopo]

Lost in a 3G fog of CAT, True and TOT

Published on June 20, 2011

Newspapers give us technical reports about the lack of progress in the 3G issue and its private and state players.

It's not easy to follow. The mass media's job is to translate and simplify technical stuff so it is accessible to the ordinary reader. May I suggest a full-page illustration with all the frequencies, those suitable or not for 3G/4G, including all the 3G wannabees mentioned on that illustration, with all their subsidiaries. And then a diagram of all the state regulators and administrators in the telecom sector. Who is ruling what and whom? Already when writing this I get the feeling the more the cooks the greater the mess.

The media's job is also to boil down a case and serve us readers the essence, the clue and not to make the case foggy through a lot of technicalities. As a normal reader, I find many central questions not yet addressed: Does CAT have an agenda? What exactly are the reasons why DTAC has been waiting for 3G clarification for over three years - lack of personnel or lack of will, tell us the real real reasons? If I read it right, clarification from CAT should come soon, but what does soon mean in CAT terminology? Can CAT as a state regulator/state body deal with True in a true way when at the same time it is a regulator for the other competing telecom companies? Same situation with TOT's plans to operate 3G with AIS.

CAT didn't want 3G to come through auction. Is there any agenda? It seems like, as a regulator, it wants to use its power to make a shortcut together with True to get a 3G start advantage. Is that the spirit and the job for a state body that also is a regulator for competing companies? CAT is a very slow working body but wants NTC to act and act quickly, even if they have sued and questioned NTC's authority? What is the logic, the motive? What about CAT's ethics when it is willing to withdraw part of its allegations against NTC? Is it just an opportunistic body [which] only sued NTC to stop the auction to hinder other companies from starting the 3G service? And also thereby give the CAT/True an earlier start than True's competitors? And if TOT/AIS operate 3G together, that must mean DTAC is state regulated out of the 3G race/market? Do the conditions in the telecom sector tell us anything about Thailand and Thai mentality in business?

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[lomatopo]

Telecom sector awaits anxiously next Govt's ICT policies

By The Nation

Published on June 20, 2011

The Democrat and Pheu Thai parties have both made identical promises to ensure the quick and successful advent of the new national broadcasting and telecom watchdog, knowing that it is a key part in their ICT policy campaigns of promoting equal broadband service accessibility and fair competition in the telecom sector.

Telecom industrialists hope the parties can keep their promise, if one of them forms the government. They have been waiting for 3G spectrum licences for years to develop nationwide wireless broadband service and to enable them to compete on the same fair licensing system. Currently they operate under TOT and CAT Telecom concessions on different terms and conditions.

The process to grant the 3G licences has seen a lot of support and opposition as well as a series of legal challenges from involved parties.

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[lomatopo]

ICT Ministry to examine CAT's Bt230 bn plan

By Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation

Published on June 20, 2011

14-year investment targets development of 3G wireless broadband service

The Information and Communications Technology Ministry will seek clarification from CAT Telecom's board and its executive team on the state agency's plan to spend Bt229.468 billion in the next 14 years on development of the 3G wireless broadband service project nationwide.

ICT Ministry permanent secretary Jirawan Boonperm said recently that the ministry had to examine the investment plan thoroughly to ensure maximum returns on investment.

CAT plans to spend Bt229.468 billion from this year until 2025 on the project. The sum includes Bt12.911 billion as capital expenditure and another Bt216.557 billion as network leasing payment.

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[lomatopo]

CAT, TOT near 3G pact

Networks merge for roaming coverage

Published: 21/06/2011 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Business

CAT Telecom and TOT Plc plan to merge their third generation (3G) networks to provide blanket high-speed wireless broadband coverage nationwide through a roaming agreement.

Jirayuth Roongsrithong, CAT's president, said the two state telecom enterprises are now drafting a memorandum of understanding, with a contract signing expected soon.

However, TOT executives are worried such a 3G roaming agreement could scotch negotiations between TOT and Advanced Info Service (AIS) on a 3G co-base station plan.

Mr Jirayuth said TOT has shown an intention to roam its 3G network on the 1900-megahertz frequency with CAT's 3G network on the analogue 850-MHz spectrum using the same high-speed packet access plus (HSPA+) gear.

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[lomatopo]

from a Telecom Sector research piece...

Risk from regulations and accusation is getting better

We see regulatory and conflict issues among the mobile operators lessening in impact.

ADVANC : In March and May 2011, the arbitrator suggested that DPC (ADVANC subsidiary) and ADVANC should not have to pay damages to satisfy CAT and TOT claims, after the company deducted excise taxes from the revenue sharing portion worth of Bt35bn.

DTAC : TRUE has sued DTAC on the foreign shareholding issue with more than 49% foreign holding. The Department of Business Development has stated that under preliminary data, it has found that Thais hold more than 51% and thus DTAC is still Thai company.

TRUE : Has yet to receive a 3G license from the NBTC, but the NBTC said that it will consider these issues on a case by case basis. Therefore, we have a more positive outlook on the new TRUE, CAT contract, as we see operations under the contract unlikely to be ruled illegal. However, there is the risk of the Central Administrative Court accept the DTAC complaint on the legality of a contract between TRUE and CAT.

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[wpcoe]

CAT, TOT near 3G pact

Networks merge for roaming coverage

Published: 21/06/2011 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Business

CAT Telecom and TOT Plc plan to merge their third generation (3G) networks to provide blanket high-speed wireless broadband coverage nationwide through a roaming agreement.

Jirayuth Roongsrithong, CAT's president, said the two state telecom enterprises are now drafting a memorandum of understanding, with a contract signing expected soon.

However, TOT executives are worried such a 3G roaming agreement could scotch negotiations between TOT and Advanced Info Service (AIS) on a 3G co-base station plan.

Mr Jirayuth said TOT has shown an intention to roam its 3G network on the 1900-megahertz frequency with CAT's 3G network on the analogue 850-MHz spectrum using the same high-speed packet access plus (HSPA+) gear.

more...

I thought CAT was trying to forge an alliance with True for nationwide 3G coverage. Now they (CAT) are merging with TOT for 3G coverage?

And, TOT is worried that this merged coverage with CAT might "scotch negotiations between TOT and AIS on a 3G co-base station plan."

Is every 3G operator getting into bed with every other 3G operator?

[lomatopo]

AIS may scrap pact with TOT if CAT deal goes ahead

Published: 22/06/2011 at 12:00 AM

Advanced Info Service is threatening to scrap its third generation (3G) network cooperation deal with TOT Plc if its concession owner strikes a roaming agreement with CAT Telecom.

The threat could affect the state telecom enterprise's goal to install 5,000 3G base stations within one year under a 16-billion-baht investment budget.

The country's largest mobile operator also said if TOT decided not to choose AIS as a strategic partner for a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreement, TOT must explain the decision to the public, as AIS offered the highest number and quality of base stations.

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[lomatopo]

TT&T eyes swift turnaround [bangkok Post, Thailand]

(Bangkok Post (Thailand) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) June 23--T&T Plc, the provincial fixed-line telephone provider, says it is confident that its shares will resume trading in the stock market by September once it completes a professional business turnaround.

The company is also looking to provide 3G services on behalf of TOT Plc and CAT Telecom in another effort to create a new revenue stream.

A TT&T executive, who asked not to be named, said the company was now waiting for a creditors' approval of a new investment budget of 1 billion baht. The money is slated for broadband service expansion.

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[lomatopo]

Briefs

By The Nation

Published on June 23, 2011

Firms line up for piece of 3G

Thirteen mobile virtual-network operators (MVNOs) plus Total Access Communication (DTAC) have informed TOT of their interest in joining with the agency in providing thirdgeneration wireless broadband services on its upcoming nationwide 3G network.

TOT director Prapan Boonyakiat said yesterday that the state enterprise had invited all 21 MVNOs to work with it.

An MVNO is a company without its own network that leases airtime and the network of a telecom to provide retail telecom service.

TOT is expected to complete the guidelines for selecting MVNO partners by the middle of next month.

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[lomatopo]

CAT says battling telecoms have not asked for its assistance

By SIRIVISH TOOMGUM

THE NATION

Published on June 25, 2011

Warring cellular providers TrueMove and Total Access Communication have not yet asked CAT Telecom to help broker peace between them in a dispute over the level of DTAC's foreign ownership, the state agency says.

CAT chief executive officer Jirayuth Rungsrithong said yesterday that the agency might be able help in some way but neither TrueMove CEO Supachai Chearavanont nor DTAC chief Jon Eddy Abdullah have asked it to step in.

However, he understands that their legal dispute is beyond CAT's authority. There is no requirement of a state concession owner to probe the foreign ownership of the concession holder, he said.

Last week TrueMove filed a criminal complaint against DTAC at the Crime Suppression Division alleging that its rival was a foreign entity operating in Thailand by circumventing the foreign business law. TrueMove also asked the Department of Business Development (DBD) to probe the case. The DBD set up a panel to look into the matter.

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[lomatopo]

True 3G deal 'will boost CAT revenues'

By Sirivish Toomgum,

Achara Deboonme

The Nation

Published on July 4, 2011

All rules complied with, says legal counsellor

True Group's deals with CAT Telecom to develop jointly a nationwide third-generation wireless broadband service should not collapse over legal problems, says True's legal counsellor.

Despite allegations by Total Access Communication (DTAC), now under consideration by the Central Administrative Court, CAT and True have complied with all rules and regulations, insisted Kanit Vallayapet, a partner of Baker & McKenzie.

Although not a direct party in the court case, True's legal team has in-depth knowledge about all the issues in dispute, since it is a contractual party with CAT in the deals.

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[lomatopo]

Samart aims for bulk of TOT 3G network

By Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation

Published on July 6, 2011

Firm plans Bt500m for wireless broadband service

Samart Corp is keen to secure the contract for 40 per cent of the capacity on TOT's upcoming nationwide third-generation wireless broadband network, with a view to making the provision of the service a long-term revenue source.

The company expects to spend Bt500 million on service development if it clinches the deal, Samart president Watchai Vilailuck said yesterday.

Samart has a good record of providing the 3G service for TOT on the state agency's network in Greater Bangkok, he added.

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Hmmm, AIS as a MVNO. Interesting.

Edited July 7, 2011 by lomatopo

[lomatopo]

Industrialists hopeful on sector's progress

By USANEE MONGKOLPORN,

SIRIVISH TOOMGUM

THE NATION

Published on July 5, 2011

Telecom industrialists hope the new government will take the industry forward into the full-broadband era, while a telecom analyst says several tough issues await the Pheu Thai-led administration.

True Corp chief executive officer Supachai Chearavanont yesterday expressed confidence that the new government could bring peace and stability to the country.

He also wishes to see the administration take the country into the full 3G wireless-broadband era, even jumping to the next level - 4G.

"I wish to see the Thai telecom sector moving forward to 3G and 4G technology and true liberalisation, as well as the conversion of concessions into licences," he said.

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[lomatopo]

TOT, AIS strike roaming deal

TOT and Advanced Info Service (AIS) have made a deal under which AIS customers would be given roaming access on the TOT 3G network for data, and TOT customers will get roaming access to the AIS network for voice and data services.

This deal should help AIS expand its 3G service so it can compete with True Corp, which has partnered with CAT Telecom.

A TOT source said both sides had agreed on the matter and were waiting for the deal to take effect soon. TOT apparently sent the draft contract to AIS as soon as it looked like Pheu Thai was going to take over the country's reins. Party leader Yingluck Shinawatra is the former president of AIS.

Negotiations for this deal have been going on since last year. The source said that under this deal, TOT would initially allow 60,000 AIS customers to use its 3G network in Greater Bangkok for data roaming, while AIS will allow 200,000 TOT customers voice access and 10,000 customers for data services.

Under the deal, both sides are allowed to provide roaming access to a million customers each.

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[lomatopo]

Yingluck denies she urged change to lese majeste law

Published: 9/07/2011 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

Pheu Thai's likely prime ministerial candidate Yingluck Shinawatra insisted yesterday that she had never floated the idea of amending Section 112 of the Criminal Code which deals with lese majeste legislation.

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai would-be list candidate Surapong Towichakchaikul yesterday vowed to proceed with an inquiry into suspected irregularities involving CAT and True Corporation's 3G partnership. Mr Surapong had grilled ICT Minister Juti Krairiksh for alleged lack of transparency in the last censure debate, accusing Mr Juti of abusing his power to benefit True at the state's expense.

[thaicbr]

Loma..... its always interesting to see how these things work out is it not..

It looks like my favorite mobile operator (DTAC) will be bolloxed by True and then it looks like they will be bolloxed by the AIS loving government... sweet.

except then it will just be crappy AIS with the lions share and True left to pick up the pieces. And Tot and Cat sitting back like usual just collecting the money..

[lomatopo]

Some interesting figures in this commentary...

http://www.amitiae.com/?p=4290

excerpts...

On another level, as expected, the moment the election results became clear, TOT quickly approved Shincorp’s AIS’ request to roam onto its 3G network. That the approval came so quickly was not surprising, but the numbers were somewhat higher than expected. At 0.85 Baht per megabyte (both ways, TOT 3G users can now also roam onto AIS 2G), that works out at 850 Baht per gigabyte or four to eight times what TOT’s current MVNOs are charging their customers for data. Quite how this would make sense commercially is unclear, apart from bragging rights that AIS now has 2100 MHz 3G.

Also, as the election results started to become clear, TrueMove (which is somewhat aligned with the outgoing Democrats) had its 3G project thrown into disarray. First, the regulator NBTC set up sub-committees to investigate the deal (after months of saying it was not their responsibility) and later, the ICT Ministry (as the Ministry controlling CAT Telecom, concession holder of True) refused to approve the project and deferred it to the incoming cabinet to decide. Talk about doing the right things for the wrong reasons.

This is nothing terminal, of course, just that True would have to, ahem, work harder at appeasing Mr and Miss Shinawatra so that her Cabinet approves the deal.

So AIS gets roaming on 2100. True continues to push ahead with 850 3G. That only leaves poor old Dtac with a bucket load of lawsuits and criminal investigations into its shareholding structure with no 3G network in sight.

The next phase of politics is more worrying though. Many Puea Thai factions have been openly campaigning for a return to the “more democratic” 1997 constitution which would also just happen to conveniently annul the lawsuits against Thaksin Shinawatra without having to grant an amnesty. The only problem for the telco sector is that the 1997 constitution calls for two separate telecom and broadcasting regulators as opposed to the 2007 converged one.

[lomatopo]

TOT pushes its 3G lease bidding process

By USANEE MONGKOLPORN

THE NATION

Published on July 11, 2011

TOT plans to finish within 30 days the bidding process for selecting firms to lease its 3G capacity once the board approves the bid details.

It remains to be seen if TOT could launch the bid soon, pending completion of the details.

TOT's 3G network management committee plans to submit the terms of reference for consideration of the state agency's board today. Last week, it had worked out the commercial details of the |bid, including the entry fee, |the minimum revenue guarantee, and the fine amount in case the bid winners fail to meet contract terms and conditions.

TOT wants to complete |the bid as soon as possible once it gets the board approval so as to officially kick off the 3G service on the new network within the third quarter, board spokesman Prapan Boonyakiat said.

The state agency divides the bid into three parts - the bid to lease 40 per cent of its 3G network capacity, while the other two bids are for lease of each of the two bulks of 20 capacity. The bid winners will lease the capacity on the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) basis. The MVNOs are firms without their own network who have leased the network of telecom operators to provide the service.

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[lomatopo]

TOT board demands another look at 3G leasing plan

By USANEE MONGKOLPORN

THE NATION

Published on July 12, 2011

The TOT board yesterday sent back to square one the state agency's plan to invite firms to bid on leasing its 3G capacity to |provide the wireless broadband service.

The board asked management to have the project's consultant Prime Street re-study all aspects of the overall leasing plan and determine the terms and conditions of the bid, said board spokesman Prapan Boonyakiat.

The board also asked TOT to clarify in writing why it agreed to allow its concession holder Advanced Info Service (AIS) to roam its customers on TOT's third-generation network. The board wants to learn whether the roaming would affect TOT's plan to lease its 3G network capacity to other firms.

There is a report that the Pheu Thai Party, which is forming a new government, wants TOT to wait for it to release its policy on the 3G issue before going ahead with the plan to lease its 3G capacity.

Prapan said the re-study would take 30 days. It will focus on the pros and cons of the project and how TOT would be affected if it decided to allow existing cellular operators to bid to lease its 3G capacity.

The consultant will also investigate whether the capacity bandwidth ratio TOT has planned to lease to the bid winners is appropriate.

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[lomatopo]

Mobile internet flourishing in Thailand, but still no 3G

By Jon Russell Jul 12, 2011 11:30AM UTC

Thailand’s mobile telecom and broadband markets are performing well and showing much potential despite the ongoing issues around 3G technology, according to two separate reports published this month.

Despite the lack of country-wide, public 3G mobile technology, Thais are amongs Asia’s most avid mobile internet users according to a report from research firm Nielsen, published in The Nation.

“Thailand is one of the very few countries that still has no commercial 3G network,” notes Aaron Cross, managing director of Nielsen Consumer division in Thailand. “However, thanks largely to the social media momentum, mobile technology is evolving at a rapid pace and the advent of Smartphones such as the iPhone and Blackberry is making it easier for consumers to access the Internet anywhere, anytime. Thai people’s willingness to embrace new technology, despite the lack of availability of high speed mobile data services, shows real potential in this space.”

However, before anyone suggests that the arrival of 3G might be somewhat inconsequential to Thailand based on this account, there is caution as Business Monitor International (BMI) warns that ARPU (average revenue per user) is set to drop leaving the countries mobile operators struggling to boost revenue – which can have knock-on effects for mobile phone users.

and....

[Thailand] has one of the lowest levels of overall Internet penetration in SEA. Less than one third of Thailand’s population aged 15+ (31 per cent) use the Internet, seven percentage points lower than the SEA regional average of 38 percent…Internet penetration in Thailand is lowest amongst those aged 50+ where only seven percent of consumers are online.

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[lomatopo]

CAT seeks NTC okay to install, use 5,300 base stations for 3g service

By Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation

Published on July 14, 2011

CAT Telecom has requested permission from the national telecom regulator to install and use 5,326 High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) base stations nationwide as part of its plan to begin commercially wholesaling 3G capacity in late August.

CAT hopes to receive approval at the end of the month or in early August, given that the board of the National Telecommunications Communication (NTC) yesterday approved the introduction of the process for the automatic granting of permits to those requesting to import, install and use radio communications devices and network equipment.

The automatic permit-granting method is expected to be published in the Royal Gazette and take effect at the end of this month.

Once the new method is implemented, the NTC office will grant permits within three days of receiving complete documentation concerning such requests, said NTC member Suranan Wongvithayakamjorn.

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[lomatopo]

AIS 3G roaming only an interim facility

By USANEE MONGKOLPORN

THE NATION

Published on July 15, 2011

Advanced Info Service (AIS) said its roaming facility with TOT's 3G network was just an interim solution to help it quickly expand third-generation service, but the real solution to usher Thailand into the full wireless-broadband era is the issuance of licences for the 2.1-gigahertz spectrum.

Recently, AIS reached an agreement with its concession owner TOT initially to allow 60,000 AIS subscribers to roam on TOT's existing and upcoming 3G networks for data services. The deal is expected to take effect soon.

Somchai Lertsutiwong, AIS executive vice president for marketing, said yesterday that the roaming facility with TOT network was just to complement AIS's existing 3G service, using the 900-megahertz spectrum. AIS will fully promote 3G-900MHz service when it finishes establishing 1,884 base stations for it nationwide. Currently, there are only a few such base stations in some major provinces.

Somchai said the best way to move Thailand into full 3G era was the granting of the long-awaited 2.1GHz-spectrum licences by the upcoming National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.

The NBTC is expected to get off the ground this year and will take a couple of years to finish the spectrum master plan, a key to granting new licences.

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[Crushdepth]

Only three more years to develop a plan to start granting licences? Is it wise to move so rapidly?