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Tag: TOT

  • Dtac, CAT, TOT to collaborate on 5G testbeds

    Dtac, CAT, TOT to collaborate on 5G testbeds

    Thai state owned operators TOT and CAT Telecom and privately-owned operator Dtac will collaborate on the development of 5G testbeds in the nation.

    The operators have signed a public-private partnership agreement to conduct both laboratory and live testing of 5G use cases at the 5G testbeds at Chulalongkorn University and the Eastern Economic Corridor.

    Applications due to be tested will focus on applications including smart farming, smart cities and environmental management.

    Specifically, TOT will test smart poles for smart city applications, CAT Telecom will trial 5G equipped air pollution sensors, and Dtac plans to test 5G connected drones to support real-time precision farming.

    The report cites Dtac CEO Alexandra Reich as noting that collaboration with vertical industries including co-investments will be essential for securing the resources required to pay for 5G infrastructure development.

    Meanwhile Dtac is urging the government to develop a clear 5G spectrum roadmap encompassing high, mid and low band spectrum, and including a clear allocation timeline, in order to support the industry’s preparations for the launch of 5G in Thailand.

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  • TOT wants telcos to be made to rent its pipes

    TOT wants telcos to be made to rent its pipes

    Thai state-owned operator TOT is calling on the government to use its legislative powers to force telecoms and broadcasting companies to move their overhead cables in Bangkok into TOT’s underground pipes.

    The operator has argued that the move will accelerate the government’s target of removing all overhead power and telephone cables in three provinces to 2019, compared to the 2021 currently scheduled.

    The move to remove overhead cables in Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Nonthaburi is being managed by five state agencies – the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), TOT, National Broadcast and Telecommunication Commission, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Royal Thai Police.

    Under the plan, MEA will be responsible for replacing all overhead power lines with underground lines, while TOT will be responsible for providing an underground duct system and grouping all existing telecoms and broadcast cables into these ducts.

    But TOT has argued that it lacks the authority to compel operators to relocate their cables, and that only the government can make an order.

    TOT wants the operator to be legally forced to rent the company’s pipes in the Bangkok. The company currently charges telecoms companies a monthly fee of 18,000 baht ($543) per km to access this underground infrastructure.

    TOT currently owns around 2,000km of the 5,000km worth of underground pipes in the Bangkok metropolitan area, and is set to inherit a further 1,500km next month after True Corporation’s existing fixed line phone build-operate-transfer concession with the state-owned company expires.

    The report states that TOT is ready to expand its pipe capacity to cover all 5,000km if it is assigned the installation of underground cables as part of the project.

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  • Thailand to link 3,920 villages with fiber by mid-2018

    Thailand to link 3,920 villages with fiber by mid-2018

    Thailand’s first state-provided high speed fixed broadband services for rural areas are on track to launch by mid-2018, according to reports.

    The fiber-based service will be offered to 3,920 border villages across 62 provinces by this time, providing broadband at speeds of at least 10Mbps.

    The low cost services will start at just 50 baht ($1.47) per month for a 10Mbps connection with unlimited data, 150 baht or less for a 15Mbps connection and 200Mbps or less for a 20Mbps connection.

    An initiative of regulator NBTC, construction of the network will be funded as part of the 14 billion baht Universal Service Obligation (USO). It will also involve the construction of 5,229 free Wi-Fi hotspots, as well as 763 public internet centers that will fuction as community centers for 2-4 villages.

    The NBTC has just launched a tender process to select the project’s contractor, and plans to hold an online auction to choose a winning bidder in July. Networks must be capable of a minimum 30Mbps connection speed, and the service packages must be offered for at least five years.

    The NBTC is also finalizing the details of construction of a broadband network for an additional 15,732 villages, as part of its plan to deploy a low-cost broadband infrastructure spanning 40,432 underserved villages nationwide to help bridge the digital divide between urban and rural Thailand.

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  • TOT ready to take over True’s fixed operations

    TOT ready to take over True’s fixed operations

    Thai state-owned operator TOT is ready to take over concessionaire True Corporation’s fixed line operations upon the expiry of the concession agreement in October.

    TOT has spent months preparing the operational procedures that will be needed to take over the provision of services to around 1.2 million customers.

    As part of Thailand’s transition to a licensing regime, the 25-year build-operate transfer concession agreement will be allowed to expire on October 26. True had been paying 18% of its total revenue to TOT under this concession.

    Once the concession expires True will transfer its fixed line network assets and customers to TOT.

    The operator will lose fixed line service revenue of around 2 billion baht ($57.7 million) per year, while TOT expects to be able to realise revenues of 2.8 billion baht per year from the assets.

    TOT plans to start writing to True customers in July informing them of the scheduled takeover of the fixed line operations. The state operator already has its own fixed line business, with around 3.4 million subscribers nationwide.

    According to the report, TOT meanwhile plans to spend around 400 million baht this year on fixed line maintenance and repair.

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  • AIS to roam on TOT’s 2100-MHz spectrum

    AIS to roam on TOT’s 2100-MHz spectrum

    Thai state-owned operator TOT has reportedly signed a six-month trial contract with AIS subsidiary Advanced Wireless Network (AWN) covering roaming on TOT’s 2100-MHz spectrum.

    A TOT source told that AWN has agreed to pay a 325 million baht ($9.4 million) monthly roaming fee for use of 80% of TOT’s 2100-MHz spectrum allocation.

    The six-month trial is being conducted with a view to potentially entering into a permanent arrangement. AWS is expected to pay a 3.9 billion baht annual roaming fee under such a deal.

    TOT plans to allocate the remaining 20% of its 2100-MHz spectrum to other interested operators, according to the report. AIS already holds 15MHz of spectrum in the 2100-MHz band.

    State-owned TOT has been steadily losing 3G subscribers to its 2100-MHz service, and is under pressure to find new revenue streams following Thailand’s transition from a concession model for spectrum allocations to a more conventional auction model.

    In June, AWN also agreed to lease TOT’s 900-MHz network and towers for a combined 5.6 billion baht annually.

    TOT also holds 60MHz of 2300-MHz spectrum, and plans to use this to offer a wireless broadband service in conjunction with a strategic partner. The partner is due to be selected shortly.

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  • TOT said to plan TD-LTE trial next month

    TOT said to plan TD-LTE trial next month

    Thai state-owned operator TOT reportedly plans to launch trial TD-LTE services over the 2.3-GHz band early next month.

    The operator is waiting for permission from regulator NBTC to use network equipment for the non-commercial trial service.

    Private operators AIS, Dtac and True Corp have been invited to join the trial, which is scheduled to begin on August 4, which is National Communications Day in Thailand.

    The trial will be conducted in Bangkok and Ratchaburi. TOT plans to install 20 2.3-GHz base stations along parts of the routes of Bangkok’s Skytrain public transport service. The trial in Ratchaburi will meanwhile use Huawei equipment.

    TOT holds 60 MHz in the 2.3-GHz band, and plans to invite international network suppliers and local operators to jointly introduce wireless broadband services over the spectrum, the report states, citing sources.

    The report states that TOT has already approached Huawei, Nokia, and Ericsson to discuss the project and plans to select the supplier with the best proposal to roll out the network.

    According to the sources, TOT plans to initially wholesale the 2.3-GHz bandwidth to local operators, and use the revenue from this agreement to finance its own 2.3-GHz rollout.

  • Thailand’s TOT and CAT won’t be merged

    Thailand’s ICT minister has insisted that there will not be a merger between the two state-owned operators TOT and CAT even as the companies are under pressure to consolidate their operations.

    Minister Uttama Savanaya has ruled out a merger on the grounds that the organizational structures of the two companies are incompatible.

    But he said the two companies will partly consolidate some of their similar core businesses to help avoid duplication of investment spending.

    Thailand’s State Enterprise Policy Commission has ordered both TOT and CAT to restructure to survive, terminating their unprofitable businesses and focusing on their core operations.

    Both are under pressure now that the nation has moved from a concession model – whereby private operators paid a share of their revenue to the state operators in exchange for use of spectrum assets – to the conventional licensing model.

    The commission has approved in-principal proposals involving consolidating the operators’ transmission, fiber, subsea cable network and internet data center operations.

    But Uttama said that other core areas of the two operators, including fixed broadband, mobility and network rental services, will remain separate.

    He noted that TOT and CAT will need to quickly adjust their organizational and business structures to ensure their survival. TOT has revealed it expects to face an operating loss of 1 billion baht in 2016.

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  • Thailand’s big three cellcos oppose tariff caps

    Thailand’s big three cellcos oppose tariff caps

    Thailand’s three largest mobile operators – AIS, Dtac and True Move – have united to oppose current regulations capping tariffs for 3G and 4G services.

    The operators brought up their opposition a group discussion with regulator NBTC on Monday.

    Revising the regulations would encourage greater competition and stimulate the further development of mobile networks and services, the operators claimed.

    They have argued that existing caps have diminished the development of service packages, distorted price mechanisms and impeded the operation of an open and competitive market.

    Currently the NBTC caps the maximum 3G tariff at 0.82 baht ($0.02) per minute for voice service, 1.33 baht per SMS, 3.32 baht for MMS and 0.28 baht for data services. The equivalent 4G limits are 0.69 baht, 1.15 baht, 3.11 baht and 0.26 baht respectively.

    A representative for Dtac stated that other mobile markets with the same level of development as Thailand do not impose tariff caps, and noted that tariffs in Thailand are among the lowest in the ASEAN region.

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  • Thailand will tighten call drop regulations

    Thailand will tighten call drop regulations

    Thai regulator NBTC will introduce stricter standards governing the quality of mobile signals in an effort to address a growing number of complaints related to dropped calls.

    The NBTC will amend current regulations, which require operators not to exceed a dropped call rate of 15% across all calls, to instead require operators to maintain this rate in each of Thailand’s service areas.

    The new regulations, which are expected to come into effect in September, have been implemented in response to the fact that in more busy service areas with congested traffic dropped call rates are much higher than the average.

    In addition to the new regulation, the NBTC has given five mobile operators – AIS, Dtac, True Move, CAT Telecom and TOT – 15 days to resolve their dropped call problems.

    According to the report as of May there were 994 complaints involving dropped calls from AIS, 497 from Dtac, 386 from True Move, 32 from CAT and seven from TOT. Complaints are picking up now operators are focusing on customer acquisition strategies to maximize their 4G investments.

    Indian regulator Trai is also focusing heavily on the issue of call drops.

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  • TOT to take charge of Thai rural broadband project

    TOT to take charge of Thai rural broadband project

    Thai state-owned operator TOT has been instructed to go it alone in a project to build a national broadband network connecting 30,000 villages across the nation.

    TOT will take sole responsibility the project to bring broadband to the majority of Thailand’s villages that currently lack broadband connectivity.

    Initially the government had planned to have TOT and CAT Telecom jointly oversee the 15 billion baht ($427.5 million) project, but the ICT ministry decided that given TOT should take control of the project due to its existing extensive infrastructure.

    CAT has been told to focus on further investment in international internet gateway infrastructure to support the government’s policy of promoting Thailand as a digital hub for the Asean region.

    Construction of the network is expected to be complete by May 2017. The state will use the network to provide free broadband connectivity in public places in all villages, while TOT plans to offer at least 20Mbps plans with affordable tariffs.

    The national broadband project is expected to be partly funded from private sector investments. It forms part of the government’s five year master plan that aims to improve Thailand’s telecom infrastructure to lift the minimum standard for broadband speed across the nation.

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  • TOT allows AIS to trial use of 2.1-GHz spectrum

    TOT allows AIS to trial use of 2.1-GHz spectrum

    Thai state-owned operator TOT has granted former concession holder AIS permission to provide a trial mobile service over the 2100-MHz spectrum band.

    TOT has not yet permitted AIS to commercially use the spectrum but will allow the private operator to conduct technical testing ahead of the signing of a planned partnership deal.

    But regulator NBTC is looking into the decision to allow the trial using 15 MHz of the 2100-MHz band after receiving an informal complaint complaining that this should not be allowed as they have yet to finalize the terms of the partnership.

    The operators are currently negotiating a deal to provide a joint 3G service over TOT’s 2100-MHz spectrum.

    AIS had been using the spectrum as part of its earlier build-operate-transfer concession agreement with the state-owned company.

    AIS subsidiary AWN currently provides wireless broadband over 15MHz of its own 2100-MHz spectrum and 15MHz of 1800-MHz spectrum, both acquired at auction under the new licensing regime. But the operator is keen to acquire access to more spectrum to meet rising data demand.

    In addition, AIS has reportedly reached an agreement with rival Dtac to roam the remaining AIS 900-MHz 2G subscribers to Dtac’s 1800-MHz network upon the switch-off of the 900-MHz service.

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