NBTC examines 3G services of providers in Thailand

BANGKOK, May 21 (TNA) - The telecommunications consumer protection subcommittee under the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has probed 3G services provided by mobile phone operators in Thailand and has found that improvements are needed. Duanden Nikhomborirak, a member of the NBTC's subcommittee, told reporters on Tuesday that her panel has recommended that local mobile phone service providers set fee ceilings for clients and warn their clients whenever their service fees exceed their ceilings in an unusual manner. Duanden mentioned that some service providers have failed to inform their clients of their service fee reduction, while some of them have cut both service fees and services but they have not reduced service fees, have not transferred service fee deposits of prepaid subscribers from 2G to 3G service accounts, have refused to let subscribers switch to another service provider right away, or have failed to offer services in areas where they advertise that their services are available. Duanden acknowledged that the NBTC requires local mobile phone service operators to cut their service fees by 15 per cent in exchange for new 3G licences and to let subscribers switch to another service provider at will. Duanden noted that the NBTC also requires 3G service providers in Thailand to offer the average download speed of at least 345 kilobytes per second and the average upload speed of at least 153kilobytes per second, but, according to their new 3G promotions, the minimum transmission speeds are now set at even slower than those of the old 2G services, at only 64,128 and 256 kilobytes per second. (TNA)