2G: TOT urged to conduct analysis on changes to AIS concession

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TOT urged to conduct analysis on changes to AIS concession
USANEE MONGKOLPORN
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE Information and Communications Technology Ministry has urged TOT to do a business plan, plus an analysis of pros and cons of its previous deals to concession with Advanced Info Service (AIS) for the ministry to consider this month.

After studying the plan, it will be forwarded for Cabinet consideration next month, ICT Minister Pornchai Rujiprapa said.

The ministry wants TOT to complete these tasks before AIS' concession expires on September 30. TOT amended the service provider's concession in May 2001, under former PM Thaksin Shinawatra's government, under which the concession fee for AIS prepaid service was lowered from 25-35 per cent to 20 per cent until the end of the concession.

This is one of the cases cited by the Supreme Court in its 2010 ruling finding Thaksin guilty of abuse of power. AIS is the flagship of InTouch Holdings, formerly known as Shin Corp. Shin Corp was founded by the Shinawatra family.

Pornchai has also instructed TOT to completely secure business partnership deals with potential partners in the next few months. He recommended that the state agency sign memorandums of understanding on partnership deals with potential partners before making them official.

He said TOT had made little progress in securing partnerships, despite the 900MHz concession nearing expiration. The longer it takes to secure the partnership deals, the bigger loss of business opportunity, he warned.

TOT's board recently approved the setting up of a working group to negotiate with all five prospective partners over synergy with its six core business units. They are AIS, True Corp, Loxley, Samart Corp and Mobile LTE.

In related news, the ministry and National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) will discuss plans to reclaim spectra from state telecom enterprises this week.

They are also expected to discuss TOT's desire to keep 10MHz of its total 20MHz bandwidth from the 900MHz spectrum, and allocate the remaining 10MHz to the NBTC for inclusion in its auction. The ministry believes that TOT should be able to keep the spectrum after its concession expires so it can continue providing public service.

The NBTC will in November call for a bid on two licences for 900MHz and two for 1800MHz. If TOT can keep 10MHz from the 900MHz spectrum, then the NBTC will only have 10MHz in the spectrum left to put on the block. Originally it planned to auction two 900MHz licences, each with 10MHz of bandwidth. If the NBTC can auction only one much-needed 900MHz licence, then the competition among bidders would be fierce, as this low-band spectrum is good for network expansion in the provinces. The NBTC will hold a public hearing on 900MHz auction rules tomorrow(August 11), when TOT employees are expected to defend the agency's right to the spectrum.

TOT has generally been percieved as incompetent. It was the first operator in Thailand to launch a 3G wireless broadband service on 2.1GHz spectrum in 2009, but it was not until late 2010 that NBTC auctioned 2.1GHz licences off to private operators. TOT and its five partners have only 600,000 3G subscribers, of which 250,000 are with TOT.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/TOT-urged-to-conduct-analysis-on-changes-to-AIS-co-30266243.html

-- The Nation 2015-08-10

[noitom]

Thai analysis = oxymoron

[bamnutsak]

TOT has generally been percieved as incompetent.

"Generally"?

More like "universally".

Hmmm, state-owned enterprises, incompetent? Who would've thought?

Seriously why the rush? Plenty of days left. Concession ending, auction pending, no one sure who owns what. Maybe best to wait a few more years?