Phone Call Prices Too High: Thailand Development Research Institute

[webfact]

TDRI: Phone call prices too high

BANGKOK, 9 May 2012 (NNT) – The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) has commented that the Thai communication business has not been fully liberalized, making the costs of the call as well as the phone too expensive.

With three mobile phone operators, AIS, DTAC, and True Move, monopolizing the market, TDRI Research Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Besides the phone price being very expensive, the connection is also slow and the 3G service is still not fully functional. The phone service operations in other countries are more competitive; as a consequence, they provide higher quality service at lower price.

Concerning the national security when the communication service is liberalized, Ms Deunden said information theft could happen even if the thief is not a shareholder of any communication company; therefore, security issue should not be considered a drawback for communication liberalization.

-- NNT 2012-05-09

[Superdude]

Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Maybe he needs to check out Belgium for instance. Maybe he will change his mind about phone call prices being four times as high as those in other countries.

[rkidlad]

Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Maybe he needs to check out Belgium for instance. Maybe he will change his mind about phone call prices being four times as high as those in other countries.

Wow! So we should tell him not to lower the price of phone calls in a country like Thailand because in Belgium they're more expensive? I guess Belgium's 3G/4G service is just as poor as Thailand's, and the local Belgian earns about the same, too.

The price of calls and internet packages are a rip off here. I use a modern BB but still can't use 3G with AIS 'cos of the software version on my phone.

"Let's lower the prices of calls, etc and provide a better service" Hold the phone! Let's see what they're charging in 'BELGIUM!'

[Superdude]

Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Maybe he needs to check out Belgium for instance. Maybe he will change his mind about phone call prices being four times as high as those in other countries.

Wow! So we should tell him not to lower the price of phone calls in a country like Thailand because in Belgium they're more expensive? I guess Belgium's 3G/4G service is just as poor as Thailand's, and the local Belgian earns about the same, too.

The price of calls and internet packages are a rip off here. I use a modern BB but still can't use 3G with AIS 'cos of the software version on my phone.

"Let's lower the prices of calls, etc and provide a better service" Hold the phone! Let's see what they're charging in 'BELGIUM!'

You should be surprised what they're charging in Belgium.

Anyway I never mentioned of not to lower the prices.

Maybe you should come visit Belgium once, but I show you how it works in Belgium

A Belgium labourer receives a salary about 1250 Euro. The internet and phone packages escalates between 50 euros a month to 200 euros a month.

The lowest price package only provides the very basic.

Every call is charged about 50 eurocents a minute and after 1 minute it is charged by second.

Not to forget that you still have to pay about 21% vat.

Before reacting like this, you should know what you're talking about.

Cheers

[sparebox2]

What is wrong with yingluck govt.

price of everything goes up, including phone call rate.

[rkidlad]

Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Maybe he needs to check out Belgium for instance. Maybe he will change his mind about phone call prices being four times as high as those in other countries.

Wow! So we should tell him not to lower the price of phone calls in a country like Thailand because in Belgium they're more expensive? I guess Belgium's 3G/4G service is just as poor as Thailand's, and the local Belgian earns about the same, too.

The price of calls and internet packages are a rip off here. I use a modern BB but still can't use 3G with AIS 'cos of the software version on my phone.

"Let's lower the prices of calls, etc and provide a better service" Hold the phone! Let's see what they're charging in 'BELGIUM!'

You should be surprised what they're charging in Belgium.

Anyway I never mentioned of not to lower the prices.

Maybe you should come visit Belgium once, but I show you how it works in Belgium

A Belgium labourer receives a salary about 1250 Euro. The internet and phone packages escalates between 50 euros a month to 200 euros a month.

The lowest price package only provides the very basic.

Every call is charged about 50 eurocents a minute and after 1 minute it is charged by second.

Not to forget that you still have to pay about 21% vat.

Before reacting like this, you should know what you're talking about.

Cheers

Nobody cares about what they're charging in BELGIUM. For us living and working in Thailand, we're worried about how much they're charging here and how good is the service. Thailand's phone calls are expensive and the internet packages are not are not as good as they should be for the money spent.

Things should be relative to average salaries here in Thailand. If they're not then maybe we can talk about it on thaivisa.com. Let's call a spade a spade.

If they are charging way over the odds in 'Belgium' maybe there's a discussion board on belgiunvisa.com

[LuckyLew]

What is wrong with yingluck govt.

price of everything goes up, including phone call rate.

Nothing wrong with Yingluck.

Just like prices of everything else, it only seems like the prices are going up.

Really they are not. Don't forget, with school starting and holidays to pay for

it only seems like things are more expensive. Just everyone's imagination :

[Superdude]

Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Maybe he needs to check out Belgium for instance. Maybe he will change his mind about phone call prices being four times as high as those in other countries.

Wow! So we should tell him not to lower the price of phone calls in a country like Thailand because in Belgium they're more expensive? I guess Belgium's 3G/4G service is just as poor as Thailand's, and the local Belgian earns about the same, too.

The price of calls and internet packages are a rip off here. I use a modern BB but still can't use 3G with AIS 'cos of the software version on my phone.

"Let's lower the prices of calls, etc and provide a better service" Hold the phone! Let's see what they're charging in 'BELGIUM!'

You should be surprised what they're charging in Belgium.

Anyway I never mentioned of not to lower the prices.

Maybe you should come visit Belgium once, but I show you how it works in Belgium

A Belgium labourer receives a salary about 1250 Euro. The internet and phone packages escalates between 50 euros a month to 200 euros a month.

The lowest price package only provides the very basic.

Every call is charged about 50 eurocents a minute and after 1 minute it is charged by second.

Not to forget that you still have to pay about 21% vat.

Before reacting like this, you should know what you're talking about.

Cheers

Nobody cares about what they're charging in BELGIUM. For us living and working in Thailand, we're worried about how much they're charging here and how good is the service. Thailand's phone calls are expensive and the internet packages are not are not as good as they should be for the money spent.

Things should be relative to average salaries here in Thailand. If they're not then maybe we can talk about it on thaivisa.com. Let's call a spade a spade.

If they are charging way over the odds in 'Belgium' maybe there's a discussion board on belgiunvisa.com

Agreed with your point of view.

I was just telling my thoughts.

Sorry about the freedom of speech.

[Stjohnm]

Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Maybe he needs to check out Belgium for instance. Maybe he will change his mind about phone call prices being four times as high as those in other countries.

Wow! So we should tell him not to lower the price of phone calls in a country like Thailand because in Belgium they're more expensive? I guess Belgium's 3G/4G service is just as poor as Thailand's, and the local Belgian earns about the same, too.

The price of calls and internet packages are a rip off here. I use a modern BB but still can't use 3G with AIS 'cos of the software version on my phone.

"Let's lower the prices of calls, etc and provide a better service" Hold the phone! Let's see what they're charging in 'BELGIUM!'

You should be surprised what they're charging in Belgium.

Anyway I never mentioned of not to lower the prices.

Maybe you should come visit Belgium once, but I show you how it works in Belgium

A Belgium labourer receives a salary about 1250 Euro. The internet and phone packages escalates between 50 euros a month to 200 euros a month.

The lowest price package only provides the very basic.

Every call is charged about 50 eurocents a minute and after 1 minute it is charged by second.

Not to forget that you still have to pay about 21% vat.

Before reacting like this, you should know what you're talking about.

Cheers

It's the same in the UK more or less and we have 4 main mobile providers and countless piggyback companies, the monopoly on landlines is still there with BT but that is really just the landline you can sign up to a raft of providers for your call charges. It does allot for the price of the calls, but they're still not cheap. Thailand's call & data prices are relatively inexpensive compared to other countries but the infrastructure is just not there, there's still no 3G in allot of the country at a time when everyone else is moving to 4G.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[daninthai]

Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Maybe he needs to check out Belgium for instance. Maybe he will change his mind about phone call prices being four times as high as those in other countries.

Wow! So we should tell him not to lower the price of phone calls in a country like Thailand because in Belgium they're more expensive? I guess Belgium's 3G/4G service is just as poor as Thailand's, and the local Belgian earns about the same, too.

The price of calls and internet packages are a rip off here. I use a modern BB but still can't use 3G with AIS 'cos of the software version on my phone.

"Let's lower the prices of calls, etc and provide a better service" Hold the phone! Let's see what they're charging in 'BELGIUM!'

You should be surprised what they're charging in Belgium.

Anyway I never mentioned of not to lower the prices.

Maybe you should come visit Belgium once, but I show you how it works in Belgium

A Belgium labourer receives a salary about 1250 Euro. The internet and phone packages escalates between 50 euros a month to 200 euros a month.

The lowest price package only provides the very basic.

Every call is charged about 50 eurocents a minute and after 1 minute it is charged by second.

Not to forget that you still have to pay about 21% vat.

Before reacting like this, you should know what you're talking about.

Cheers

I think the point was that it doesn't really matter what the prices are in Belgium. That has absolutely no bearing on what the prices should be in Thailand. If the price can be lowered and the quality improved by opening up the market further, it should be done.

[whybother]

Wow! So we should tell him not to lower the price of phone calls in a country like Thailand because in Belgium they're more expensive? I guess Belgium's 3G/4G service is just as poor as Thailand's, and the local Belgian earns about the same, too.

The price of calls and internet packages are a rip off here. I use a modern BB but still can't use 3G with AIS 'cos of the software version on my phone.

"Let's lower the prices of calls, etc and provide a better service" Hold the phone! Let's see what they're charging in 'BELGIUM!'

When someone is say that prices are "about four times as high as those in other countries" it's only fair to mention prices in "other countries".

[pipo1000]

Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Maybe he needs to check out Belgium for instance. Maybe he will change his mind about phone call prices being four times as high as those in other countries.

Wow! So we should tell him not to lower the price of phone calls in a country like Thailand because in Belgium they're more expensive? I guess Belgium's 3G/4G service is just as poor as Thailand's, and the local Belgian earns about the same, too.

The price of calls and internet packages are a rip off here. I use a modern BB but still can't use 3G with AIS 'cos of the software version on my phone.

"Let's lower the prices of calls, etc and provide a better service" Hold the phone! Let's see what they're charging in 'BELGIUM!'

You should be surprised what they're charging in Belgium.

Anyway I never mentioned of not to lower the prices.

Maybe you should come visit Belgium once, but I show you how it works in Belgium

A Belgium labourer receives a salary about 1250 Euro. The internet and phone packages escalates between 50 euros a month to 200 euros a month.

The lowest price package only provides the very basic.

Every call is charged about 50 eurocents a minute and after 1 minute it is charged by second.

Not to forget that you still have to pay about 21% vat.

Before reacting like this, you should know what you're talking about.

Cheers

It's the same in the UK more or less and we have 4 main mobile providers and countless piggyback companies, the monopoly on landlines is still there with BT but that is really just the landline you can sign up to a raft of providers for your call charges. It does allot for the price of the calls, but they're still not cheap. Thailand's call & data prices are relatively inexpensive compared to other countries but the infrastructure is just not there, there's still no 3G in allot of the country at a time when everyone else is moving to 4G.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[swillowbee]

.

... maybe a normal situation in the transition from a 3rd world feudal kleptocracy to modern society ... exploitation of the many to enrich the few.

... the ASEAN free trade agreement in 2015 will go a long way toward raising Thailand to the standards of their ASEAN neighbors ... assuming Thailand will honor the agreement.

Edited May 9, 2012 by swillowbee

[Skywalker69]

Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Maybe he needs to check out Belgium for instance. Maybe he will change his mind about phone call prices being four times as high as those in other countries.

Wow! So we should tell him not to lower the price of phone calls in a country like Thailand because in Belgium they're more expensive? I guess Belgium's 3G/4G service is just as poor as Thailand's, and the local Belgian earns about the same, too.

The price of calls and internet packages are a rip off here. I use a modern BB but still can't use 3G with AIS 'cos of the software version on my phone.

"Let's lower the prices of calls, etc and provide a better service" Hold the phone! Let's see what they're charging in 'BELGIUM!'

You should be surprised what they're charging in Belgium.

Anyway I never mentioned of not to lower the prices.

Maybe you should come visit Belgium once, but I show you how it works in Belgium

A Belgium labourer receives a salary about 1250 Euro. The internet and phone packages escalates between 50 euros a month to 200 euros a month.

The lowest price package only provides the very basic.

Every call is charged about 50 eurocents a minute and after 1 minute it is charged by second.

Not to forget that you still have to pay about 21% vat.

Before reacting like this, you should know what you're talking about.

Cheers

I think the point was that it doesn't really matter what the prices are in Belgium. That has absolutely no bearing on what the prices should be in Thailand. If the price can be lowered and the quality improved by opening up the market further, it should be done.

Thailand needs another hub.

[Thai at Heart]

.

... maybe a normal situation in the transition from a 3rd world feudal kleptocracy to modern society ... exploitation of the many to enrich the few.

... the ASEAN free trade agreement in 2015 will go a long way toward raising Thailand to the standards of their ASEAN neighbors ... assuming Thailand will honor the agreement.

Lets wait and see, business here doesn't "do" unnecessary competition or liberalisation very well. Thailand for Thai's and all that.......

Between cars, alcoholic beverages or agriculture and finance, these Asean rules are going to pee on some pretty big bonfires.

[rkidlad]

Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Maybe he needs to check out Belgium for instance. Maybe he will change his mind about phone call prices being four times as high as those in other countries.

Wow! So we should tell him not to lower the price of phone calls in a country like Thailand because in Belgium they're more expensive? I guess Belgium's 3G/4G service is just as poor as Thailand's, and the local Belgian earns about the same, too.

The price of calls and internet packages are a rip off here. I use a modern BB but still can't use 3G with AIS 'cos of the software version on my phone.

"Let's lower the prices of calls, etc and provide a better service" Hold the phone! Let's see what they're charging in 'BELGIUM!'

You should be surprised what they're charging in Belgium.

Anyway I never mentioned of not to lower the prices.

Maybe you should come visit Belgium once, but I show you how it works in Belgium

A Belgium labourer receives a salary about 1250 Euro. The internet and phone packages escalates between 50 euros a month to 200 euros a month.

The lowest price package only provides the very basic.

Every call is charged about 50 eurocents a minute and after 1 minute it is charged by second.

Not to forget that you still have to pay about 21% vat.

Before reacting like this, you should know what you're talking about.

Cheers

I think the point was that it doesn't really matter what the prices are in Belgium. That has absolutely no bearing on what the prices should be in Thailand. If the price can be lowered and the quality improved by opening up the market further, it should be done.

Yes, and comparing Thailand to Belgium is really fair. Let's compare chalk and cheese while we're at it.

[hellodolly]

I find it interesting it is cheaper for me to call Canada from Thailand than to call Thailand from Canada. 5 baht a minute and that is not with one of those cost saving cards.

Hard to blame it on the Canadian phone when it is a lot cheaper to call many countries from there such as India. The price of calling in to Thailand is held up on this end not that end.

[fstarbkk]

Director Deunden Nikomborirak said that given Thai mobile communication business is not fully liberalized, calling prices for both mobile phones and landlines are about four times as high as those in other countries.

Maybe he needs to check out Belgium for instance. Maybe he will change his mind about phone call prices being four times as high as those in other countries.

Wow! So we should tell him not to lower the price of phone calls in a country like Thailand because in Belgium they're more expensive? I guess Belgium's 3G/4G service is just as poor as Thailand's, and the local Belgian earns about the same, too.

The price of calls and internet packages are a rip off here. I use a modern BB but still can't use 3G with AIS 'cos of the software version on my phone.

"Let's lower the prices of calls, etc and provide a better service" Hold the phone! Let's see what they're charging in 'BELGIUM!'

You should be surprised what they're charging in Belgium.

Anyway I never mentioned of not to lower the prices.

Maybe you should come visit Belgium once, but I show you how it works in Belgium

A Belgium labourer receives a salary about 1250 Euro. The internet and phone packages escalates between 50 euros a month to 200 euros a month.

The lowest price package only provides the very basic.

Every call is charged about 50 eurocents a minute and after 1 minute it is charged by second.

Not to forget that you still have to pay about 21% vat.

Before reacting like this, you should know what you're talking about.

Cheers

So what?! European countries have much higher costs to operate a mobile Network - labour, real estate etc.. Not to mention that they probably spend a fortune on building first class infrastructure that delivers stable high-quality service. Compare that to the schlocky patchwork of an infrastructure and the highly failure-prone services that result from it, here in Thailand.

When is the last time a major mobile network in the West had several large scale outages, sometimes lasting for days (like DTAC) and suvived in the marketplace? I see no justification to keep bilking Thai consumers, just because its even more expensive somewhere else.

Has anybody checked Lichtenstein or Monaco? Maybe they're even more expensive!

[hyperdimension]

The article should have given examples of countries where it is cheaper. Comapring with Belgium doesn't make much sense. A better comparison might be with Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Philippines. So where is it cheaper?

[fstarbkk]

"Maybe you should come visit Belgium once..."

A visit to belgium was already pretty low on my list. But now that I know what a rip-off mobile service is... forget it!!!

Edited May 9, 2012 by fstarbkk

[hyperdimension]

Here is a relevant quote from the Zen Journalist blog regarding Thaksin and the telecommunications industry:

Earning billions of dollars in the space of just a few years is a totally abnormal economic phenomenon. It does not indicate prodigious management acumen: it is a symptom of gross inefficiency in the system. The huge oligopoly profits that were channelled to Thaksin and the government cronies who helped him were effectively being looted from Thailand’s people. The uncompetitive industry structure and lack of a level playing field meant that consumers had to overpay for the services they used, and this cash was going to the tycoons who ran the top telecoms firms and to their friends in the cabinet and the bureaucracy. Because he played the system well and had some very lucky breaks at just the right moment, an unremarkable businessman with a string of failed ventures behind him was able to grow rich beyond his wildest dreams with breathtaking speed.

[jackr]

Nothing wrong with Yingluck.

Just like prices of everything else, it only seems like the prices are going up.

Really they are not.

One would need to be fresh off the plane or living in a bubble to believe that.

The article should have given examples of countries where it is cheaper. Comapring with Belgium doesn't make much sense. A better comparison might be with Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Philippines. So where is it cheaper?

I think the article was alluding to similar countries; it was the Belgian dude what twisted it. Always find it a bit silly when folk compare prices in such a way with home.

[TomTao]

The prices I am paying here for internet with 3BB, my smartphone which is on a plan with DTAC which includes unlimited downloads is pretty much on a par with what I was paying in Australia before I came here two years ago, but the cost of calling out of Thailand to another country is ridiculous, it is much cheaper for the people back home to call here than it is for me to call them. The download speed on the BB is not fantastic, but its not too bad either, the download on the phone can vary from reasonably quick to painstakingly slow, but the phone I have is not 3G capable.

[Thaddeus]

Belgium has beer, chocolate and a high percentage of men that look like Inspector Dreyfus, end of.

Back to the topic.

With three mobile phone operators, AIS, DTAC, and True Move, monopolizing the market

How do you have a monopoly of three.

That's a cartel isn't it?

What's that smell?

[Skywalker69]

Belgium has beer, chocolate and a high percentage of men that look like Inspector Dreyfus, end of.

Back to the topic.

With three mobile phone operators, AIS, DTAC, and True Move, monopolizing the market

How do you have a monopoly of three.

That's a cartel isn't it?

What's that smell?

Cartel-manure.

[TAWP]

One of the nice things of traveling to US and EU for work is seeing the pages etc load quickly on the phone...until one gets back to Thailand and sees the connection snail down the pages again...

[hellodolly]

Belgium has beer, chocolate and a high percentage of men that look like Inspector Dreyfus, end of.

Back to the topic.

With three mobile phone operators, AIS, DTAC, and True Move, monopolizing the market

How do you have a monopoly of three.

That's a cartel isn't it?

What's that smell?

Did they ever get a leader?

[RubbaJohnny]

May explain the cellar kids in belgium who didn't have sufficient credit to call fro help.

To the substantive point its not difficult : untramelled greed .stupidity and no redress for corruption.Lao on 4G Kenyans using mobiles to bank virtually free calls in many countries.Local class were free in US parts of E Europe and Mid East is catching up.

Cannot recall last time any of those responsible did time they all seem untouchable

Edited May 9, 2012 by RubbaJohnny

[noitom]

The last paragraph is gobbledygook. Mrs. Duengen said " " is supposed to be in quotes. The entire paragraph is inane with a lack of context.

[geriatrickid]

I find it interesting it is cheaper for me to call Canada from Thailand than to call Thailand from Canada. 5 baht a minute and that is not with one of those cost saving cards.

Hard to blame it on the Canadian phone when it is a lot cheaper to call many countries from there such as India. The price of calling in to Thailand is held up on this end not that end.

???????

A quick google shows such rates to call Thailand from Canada; MuangThai 1.5 cents/minute, Rebtel 2.9cents/minute, Yak & Primus (AT&T) all offer plans for under 5 cents. I don't know how much cheaper you want it.