NBTC presses ahead with 3G mobile services in Thailand

BANGKOK, April 27 (TNA) - Thailand's Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) has approved draft regulations for third-generation (3G) mobile phone services, allowing three 3G license holders to gradually launch their services from May 2013 onward. An NBTC member, Sutthipol Thaweechaikarn, told journalists Saturday that the draft regulations concern infrastructure sharing, mobile network sharing, mobile network roaming and mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) and they will soon be published in the Royal Gazette. Sutthipol said three mobile phone service providers granted a 3G license by the NBTC, including the Advance Info Service (AIS), Total Access Communication (DTAC) and Real Future of True (TRUE), are obliged to comply with the regulations, aimed to ensure full service coverage for local consumers. Sutthipol acknowledged that the three mobile phone operators are also required to provide their 3G services to people in 50 per cent of the country's total area within two years and 80 per cent within four year, and that the three 3G license holders have already submitted their business plans and policies to the NBTC, which is expected to complete reviewing them by the end of this month to allow the companies to launch their 3G services next month. According to the NBTC member, if the business plans and policies submitted by the three 3G licensed operators and their MVNO partners, covering, for example, corporate social responsibility and complaint dealing processes, did not meet required standards, the NBTC would send them back for revision. (TNA)