True Internet Need More International Bandwidth

[george]

True urges NTC to act now

BANGKOK: -- True Corp Plc is urging the national telecom regulator to grant global Internet gateway operating licences as quickly as possible to ease its problem of insufficient bandwidth.

Noppadol Dej-udom, True’s director of broadband Internet, said a delay in licensing would further worsen the company’s international bandwidth shortage.

Slow action on the part of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) might even force the company to impose a temporary halt in signing up new subscribers.

“We’re facing a dilemma, as there’s rising demand for broadband Internet service, but we don’t have enough international bandwidth for new users,” he said.

CAT Telecom has monopolised the international Internet gateway, which allocates the international bandwidth for Internet service providers (ISPs) for years.

The NTC is expected to finish the terms for liberalising the international Internet gateway market and the licensing of new gateway operations this month.

By having their own gateways, ISPs will be able to bypass CAT to lease international bandwidth immediately from foreign telecom carriers once they experience bandwidth shortage.

--The Nation 2005-12-07

[Crushdepth]

“We’re facing a dilemma, as there’s rising demand for broadband Internet service, but we don’t have enough international bandwidth for new users,” he said.

Dilemma?!? What is he talking about? It's not like True stopped selling bandwidth when they ran out.

[MilkPlus]

OMG , thats a nightmare.

Whats the deal with Thailand? Even after they get license they will have to install infrastructure.

Might be a good time to invest in the Fibre Optic industry in Thailand.

[george]

True warns of Internet traffic jam

BANGKOK: -- The country's Internet traffic faces bottlenecks unless the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issues new international gateway licences to expand connections next year. Internet service providers say their ability to expand customer bases is being undermined by the market, which is monopolised by CAT Telecom, the sole international gateway operator in Thailand.

Noppadol Dej-Udom, director and general manager for broadband and Internet of True Corp, said True would have to slow down its broadband marketing activities or seek a foreign partner with international links next year, if the NTC can't come up with a gateway licensing plan.

Currently, at least 450,000 of eight million Internet users are broadband customers, and all traffic passes through CAT Telecom's single gateway, making connections with overseas websites difficult.

``Although we now offer up to four megabits per second high-speed Internet service, it could amount to nothing if a new gateway is not made available to accommodate the growing numbers of Internet service providers and Internet users,'' Mr Noppadol said.

He said True was in talks with a Singaporean gateway operator for a partnership to expand its broadband business. It also plans to ask TOT Plc to invest in a new gateway, since the state agency now has an NTC licence to offer the service.

Thiti Nantapatsiri, managing director for home and consumer solutions and high-speed access, said True had invested 700 million baht in rapidly expanding its WiFi hotspots to 2,500 in Bangkok.

WiFi hotspots offer high connections at up to four megabits per second, about 100 times that of normal Internet.

Mr Thiti said True expected to have 400,000 broadband subscribers and 20,000 WiFi customers by the end of the year.

--Bangkok Post 2005-12-07

[meadish_sweetball]

True claim they will install wifi in my area early next year. Would be interesting to know what speeds they are planning to lay out though.

[MilkPlus]

I going to take a wild guess and say theres not much FPS online gaming going on in Thailand?

[wincen]

Is this why my connection is so slow and intermittent? I just had ADSL installed in my house. Its in my landlords name and the box say TOT on it. I payed for the full 1000 KBS for 1000 baht a month and the connections is horrible. Its slow and intermittent.

Is there a way to drop the packkage down to the 256kbs for 500 baht or is there a problem that can be fixed. I'm going to talk to my land lord and maybe call the company but I'm betting neither will help.

Checking my yahoo mail takes about 30 seconds just to open and email. Poker stars is always delayed and disconnecting ( Maybe I shouldn't complain too loudly about that one).

Any advice please.

[gurkle]

It's a shame when government officials choose to use money to pay for a fashion library instead of access to the Internet when most of the population does not have an education beyond the 6th grade.

[MilkPlus]

Is this why my connection is so slow and intermittent? I just had ADSL installed in my house. Its in my landlords name and the box say TOT on it. I payed for the full 1000 KBS for 1000 baht a month and the connections is horrible. Its slow and intermittent.

Is there a way to drop the packkage down to the 256kbs for 500 baht or is there a problem that can be fixed. I'm going to talk to my land lord and maybe call the company but I'm betting  neither will help.

Checking my yahoo mail takes about 30 seconds just to open and email. Poker stars is always delayed and disconnecting ( Maybe I shouldn't complain too loudly about that one).

Any advice please.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There could be a lot of reasons for that.

What kind of ADSL is it?

Go here, download cablenut and then post a screenshot of what it says.

Dont change anything, just post the screenshot and Ill try to help you.

Also go here http://www.speedguide.net/analyzer.php

and post a screenshot.

That get things rolling.

dowload tcpoptimizer here, it has a few tools on you can use to check stuff,

http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php

Edited December 8, 2005 by MilkPlus

[lomatopo]

This article from last month indicates that International Internet Gateway licenses will be issued, although how many will be issued and to whom, are still open issues. (Note that the article is very confusing mixing 3G, satellite and international internet gateways issues. However it seems like the IIG issue is not dependent upon the formation of the NBC, National Broadcasting Commission, thank goodness, as that constitutionally-mandated oversight body, like most in Thailand, is in limbo.) Now it is just a matter of stipulating the terms of the licenses and figuring out who gets them, and how much they charge ISPs. Stay tuned. Turning up an IIG is the least of the problem.

Related news:

NTC pushes more Internet gateways

BANGKOK: -- The National Telecommunications Commission will go ahead and issue more international Internet gateway (IIG) licences, currently monopolised by CAT Telecom, after deciding that it would not affect frequency bandwidth allocations. The regulatory body reached its conclusion after four hearings with industry leaders, according to Gen Choochart Promprasit, the NTC chairman.

Operations that involve frequency bandwidth need approval from the combined 14 members of the NTC and the yet-to-be set up National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). Satellite and third-generation (3G) operations require bandwidth allocations and so licensing must have both NTC and NBC approval.

Despite conducting two public hearings on satellite licensing, the NTC could not reach a conclusion without the formation of the NBC.

However, because Shin Satellite, which already has four satellites, can operate without changing its bandwidth frequency, the NTC could issue the company a licence. New satellite operators would have to wait for the NBC, he said.

At the last hearing on IIG licences early this month, private operators said the service would be cheaper when there were more operators, he added.

One representative from True Corporation said lower licence fees would enable the company to offer high-speed Internet service at one megabit a second at just 590 baht a month.

Currently, users who pay 590 baht a month can obtain access speeds of 256 kilobytes a second, he said.

Gen Choochart said the NTC had not fixed the number of IIG operators that would be approved.

CAT Telecom Plc monopolises IIG operations, with TOT Plc hoping to enter the market next year.

The NTC wants to complete a basic framework for 3G licences by the end of the year with final details, including licence and spectrum fees, by mid-2006.

Two public hearings have been held to date to discuss the terms of the licences, with the final hearing to take place today.

But uncertainties over the formation of the NBC could result in more delays.

--Bangkok Post 2005-11-14