ICT Ministry flooded with complaints over mobile network quality

BANGKOK, 11 May 2012 (NNT) - According to the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the Office of Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) and the ministry have been flooded with complaints over a dramatic drop in mobile network service quality across the country. The ministry is set to hold a meeting with all mobile phone network operators to resolve the issue.

ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap said that for the past two months, reports of poor signal strength and network outages have reached the ministry. Network operators which included Advanced Info Service, Dtac, True Move and TOT Plc as well as representatives from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) and OCPB have been called to a meeting to address the complaints.

Following the meeting, Mr Anudith said all operators are required to present tentative measures to tackle the network coverage and signal issues within the next two weeks.

Wansit Saiyawan, senior vice president and head of Corporate Communications at Dtac, responded to the backlash by saying a car accident, which occurred last week, damaged part of the fiber optic cable system, resulting in a disruption in service for callers in the Northern region of Thailand. As a compensatory measure, Dtac is planning to offer additional airtime, free of charge.

Mr. Wansit said that in order to prevent further disruptions, the company is opting for a three-strand optical fiber cable system to enhance the quality of its service nation-wide.

-- NNT 2012-05-11

"the company is opting for a three-strand optical fiber cable system"

Because when some lunatic fells a telegraph pole with his car, a broken fiber cable with 3 strands in it will somehow magically still work, while a single or double strand cable wouldn't?

Maybe someday Thailand will start burying cables, power and telephone, to eliminate this problem and the unsightly mess of cables that are everywhere.

It makes a change from a shark chewing through a submarine cable