Thai telecommunications: New plan for 11-digit phone numbers considered

[webfact]

TELECOMMUNICATIONS
New plan for phone numbers considered
Usanee Mongkolporn
The Nation

Regulator eager to avoid early move to 11-digit numbers, which would be costly

BANGKOK: -- The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission is expected to announce a new telephone-numbering plan next quarter, aiming for more efficient usage.

The NBTC is concerned that if usage of mobile-phone numbers is not efficiently managed, it will soon have no choice but to introduce 11-digit numbers. This would entail a large cost for telecom operators, so it wants to put this off for as long as it can make the existing system work.

Currently Thailand uses 10-digit mobile-phone numbers with the prefixes 08 and 09.

The new numbering plan would allow telecom operators to reuse after just 90 days the mobile-phone numbers they have reclaimed from subscribers who have cancelled their service, instead of 180 days now.

It would also require operators to use 70 per cent of their mobile-phone numbers before requesting additional numbers from the NBTC.

The commission held a public hearing on this draft plan early this week and will submit it for the consideration of its telecom committee and its board. NBTC deputy secretary-general Korkij Danchaivachit said the plan was expected to be published in the Royal Gazette in the first quarter of the new year.

The NBTC has assigned 170 million mobile-phone numbers to operators versus the current 70 million subscribers.

It has only 30 million numbers with the 09 prefix left, plus another 200 million with the prefixes 06 and 01. It wants to keep 01 for the eventual introduction of 11-digit numbers.

Recently Advanced Wire-less Network asked for 14 million new mobile numbers, while DTAC TriNet requested 8 million and Real Future 10 million, for their respective third-generation services.

The NBTC is still considering the requests.

During the public hearing, most telecom operators complained about the requirement in the existing numbering plan that they return unused mobile numbers to the NBTC for reallocation on the basis of a fixed 10,000 numbers per lot.

They suggested that the commission allow them to return any amount. Korkij said the NBTC would consider this request.

-- The Nation 2013-12-06

[noitom]

Reclaiming numbers after 90 days. The Thais are in charge - they know how to do this.

[rkidlad]

Does this mean fewer people calling my number by mistake?

I will miss having some middle aged woman who can't speak a lick of English calling me 4 or 5 times speaking at me loudly in Thai. I will also miss speaking to her friend who can speak enough English to establish that I am indeed the wrong number.

"Does your friend know any foreigners?"

"Huh?"

"Is your friend trying to contact a farang? Does she know any farangs?"

"No!"

[EvilDrSomkid]

How about changing the 02 prefixes to 10 numbers first? Now, that is ridiculously outdated.

Do you know how hard it is to get a land line in Bangkok? There is a waiting period, depending on district and provider.

[abhaya]

She is just looking for her lost buffalo.

[JoeThePoster]

When will they introduce a plan to stop callers from dialling my number and asking me "teenai"?

[Prbkk]

It won't stop the pesky SMSs....most of which come from the bloody phone company itself, advertising products you don't want or need ( and in spite of requests for them to stop). Nothing better than telemarketers by stealth.

[GBK]

You can call your provider and get those ads SMS turned off.

[jacko45k]

Does this mean fewer people calling my number by mistake?

I will miss having some middle aged woman who can't speak a lick of English calling me 4 or 5 times speaking at me loudly in Thai. I will also miss speaking to her friend who can speak enough English to establish that I am indeed the wrong number.

"Does your friend know any foreigners?"

"Huh?"

"Is your friend trying to contact a farang? Does she know any farangs?"

"No!"

Well maybe 1/10 fewer wrong numbers.

My favourites are the heavily drunk guys calling in the early hours during Songkran or New Year.

But I must agree that after I have disconnected the erroneous call, there is no need to put the phone down as surely he will be back again a few more times.

Falang always wrong maybe!

[p_brownstone]

Why not use the present, initial, digit on Mobile 'phones? At the moment every 10 Digit Mobile Number starts with "0" - 081, 087 for example, followed by another 7 digits - make the new numbers 181, then 281 etc. etc. - there would be literally millions of new Numbers available then.

Patrick

Edited December 6, 2013 by p_brownstone

[jacko45k]

It won't stop the pesky SMSs....most of which come from the bloody phone company itself, advertising products you don't want or need ( and in spite of requests for them to stop). Nothing better than telemarketers by stealth.

I went to their office in the Mall and got them to stop them.

I must admit that I don't get as many these days, perhaps since I took my second SIM (True) out and put it in a cheap phone and leave it turned off! (Use it for cheap outgoing International calls).

Edited December 6, 2013 by jacko45k

[Minnehaha]

Does this mean fewer people calling my number by mistake?

I will miss having some middle aged woman who can't speak a lick of English calling me 4 or 5 times speaking at me loudly in Thai. I will also miss speaking to her friend who can speak enough English to establish that I am indeed the wrong number.

"Does your friend know any foreigners?"

"Huh?"

"Is your friend trying to contact a farang? Does she know any farangs?"

"No!"

next time just say:

"Tow pid" many times. it means : wrong number

[lucjoker]

Why not use the present, initial, digit on Mobile 'phones? At the moment every 10 Digit Mobile Number starts with "0" - 081, 087 for example, followed by another 7 digits - make the new numbers 181, then 281 etc. etc. - there would be literally millions of new Numbers available then.

Patrick

this solution is too smart,impossible to explain this to "them"

[mamypoko]

11 is always better than 10

take volume, for example

[mgjackson69]

As usual, The Nation gets it wrong.

'The plan' is not about using 11-digit numbers...it is to try avoid having to transition to 11-digit numbers.

Sent from my Xoom using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[mca]

Does this mean fewer people calling my number by mistake?

I will miss having some middle aged woman who can't speak a lick of English calling me 4 or 5 times speaking at me loudly in Thai. I will also miss speaking to her friend who can speak enough English to establish that I am indeed the wrong number.

"Does your friend know any foreigners?"

"Huh?"

"Is your friend trying to contact a farang? Does she know any farangs?"

"No!"

What fascinates me is when I witness somebody having a 5 minute conversation with an obviously wrong number.

With me it's a case of " Tor Pit Khap" within about 5 seconds of answering the phone when a voice and number I don't recognize starts rabbiting on about a subject I know nothing about.

I've witnessed the one sided conversation with an obviously wrong number that went something like " Hello.....Who?.........Lek?.....No I don't know Lek......Do you mean Lek from the somtam shop?.....No?........Lek who works at Telewiz?..........No?........Who are you?................Som?................Som, Pom's sister?.................No?........Som who sells phones at Central Plaza?..............."etc

Edited December 6, 2013 by mca

[BudRight]

I used to have a landline (in Bangkok), before we stopped paying the bill and it got disconnected. We used to get calls daily for a refrigerator repair shop. They say 'is it fixed yet?' I'd say 'yep come pick it up.'

Edited December 6, 2013 by BudRight

[Pui]

The email heading "Thailand's mobile numbers just got 1 digit longer"

Is actually "New plan for phone numbers considered"

This first caused panic as I thought my mobile number had changed over night. When in fact its something being considered.

Could you please stop these very annoying headlines?

[PaulHamon]

You can call your provider and get those ads SMS turned off.

until the just turn back on for no reason.

[johnopolo]

Clearly, some people have absolutely no idea why mobile numbers are prefixed with a zero .....

[joepattaya1961]

Huhhh, how long ago did they from 9 to 10 digits, stating that it would last for YEARS.

Maybe it's better to add 2 digits....bunch-a-<deleted>.

[thaikahuna]

What about the 1000s of "preferred" numbers the retailers are hoarding hoping to sell for big Baht? Those should be the dirst ones reclaimed or ordered sold at face value.

[Fullstop]

Currently Thailand uses 10-digit mobile-phone numbers with the prefixes 08 and 09.

Why don't they just make a new prefix?... "07" ???

[LukKrueng]

I will miss having some middle aged woman who can't speak a lick of English calling me 4 or 5 times speaking at me loudly in Thai.

yo rkidlad, and the rest of u complaining about the language and other skills of the Thai people - if you haven't noticed you are in THAILAND!! the land of the THAIS. it is YOU that have to learn THEIR language and THEIR habits if you want to live here, not they have to change in order to accommodate you

[bitterbatter]

Since this would cost the telecom companies a lot of money then I don't expect it soon. The majority of unused numbers sit in shops selling sims. A better alternative would be programmable sims where the unused numbers would sit in a database instead. But the other issue is all of the foreigners, including Chinese, flowing into Thailand, which will only increase with the upcoming changes in ASEAN working visa's coming into play next year.

[Thaddeus]

I will miss having some middle aged woman who can't speak a lick of English calling me 4 or 5 times speaking at me loudly in Thai.

yo rkidlad, and the rest of u complaining about the language and other skills of the Thai people - if you haven't noticed you are in THAILAND!! the land of the THAIS. it is YOU that have to learn THEIR language and THEIR habits if you want to live here, not they have to change in order to accommodate you

I can speak Thai well enough to ask the caller if they can speak English, if they say "no" I can then tell them in Thai that they have called the wrong number.

Why do they then call me again 5 or 6 times to get the same result?

[MuuDaeng]

You can call your provider and get those ads SMS turned off.

Done couple of years ago, and SMSes keep coming exactly as they used to be.

[DekDaeng]

She is just looking for her lost buffalo.

No, she thinks she has just found her lost buffalo.

[rkidlad]

I will miss having some middle aged woman who can't speak a lick of English calling me 4 or 5 times speaking at me loudly in Thai.

yo rkidlad, and the rest of u complaining about the language and other skills of the Thai people - if you haven't noticed you are in THAILAND!! the land of the THAIS. it is YOU that have to learn THEIR language and THEIR habits if you want to live here, not they have to change in order to accommodate you

Yes, you're absolutely right but you've completely missed the point and the context.

The point is that I am clearly not the person they wanted to contact. If the lady doesn't speak a lick of English, I doubt very much she's trying to contact a foreigner.

If I'm at home in the UK and I call someone speaking Chinese, I think it's fair to assume they're not the person I want. It doesn't take 5+ phone calls and my Chinese girlfriend to call them and confirm I have the wrong number.

I can now speak quite good Thai, and this was more of a problem when I first got here. When I first got here, my Thai sucked but 'THAIS living in THAILAND' didn't seem to take any offence.

My comment was made in jest and was certainly not a criticism of anyone's language skills. It was a funny observation that only you have taken offence to. Remember, you're a 'FOREIGNER' and have no right to be offended outside of your own country.

[lomatopo]

Currently Thailand uses 10-digit mobile-phone numbers with the prefixes 08 and 09.

Why don't they just make a new prefix?... "07" ???

03, 04, 05 and 07 are currently used for fixed-line numbering in various provinces, on a sort of regional basis - along with 02 in Bangkok.