A source at the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said that among the applicants were Shin Satellite, Advanced Datanetwork Communications, TT&T Plc, True Plc, Acumen, Infonet, and Pacific Internet.

The rising number of several IIG operators, which will compete to offer low-priced international Internet bandwidths to the Internet service providers (ISPs), will enable ISPs to save bandwidth costs and they could accordingly offer lower monthly Internet access fees to their customers.

TOT Plc, which is the NTC licensee, is expected to launch its IIG service and domestic exchange service next month to be an alternative to those of CAT Telecom Plc.

"We'll offer the services at competitive prices," said TOT's senior manager for regulatory relations sector, Worachai Aurprayoon.

CAT has monopolised the IIG operation - the allocation of the international Internet bandwidth for ISPs for years, thus they have had no cheaper or better choice.

The NTC convened with 17 ISPs under the CAT concession and 24 ISPs under its licence yesterday as part of its evaluation of the impact of its regulations.

During the meeting, Noppadol Dej-udom, True's broadband Internet director, complained to the NTC that TOT had refused the company's request to connect with its fixed-telephone line switching system to enable its offering of the Internet access service in the provinces.

"We got the Internet licence from the NTC almost a year ago but have not yet been able to provide the service in the provinces," he added.

One small ISP complaint to the NTC that it wants to buy only the domestic bandwidth from CAT but the state agency said it had to buy a bundle of both domestic and international Internet bandwidths.

An official of CAT said that if the NTC orders CAT to offer such bandwidths separately, it would comply with the order but the price of the domestic bandwidth would be higher than the present.

The offering of the bundled domestic and international Internet bandwidths enables CAT to provide the domestic bandwidth at a lower fee.

The CAT official added that the NTC should protect the major players like CAT as well.

Noppadol said the NTC should quickly award the relevant Internet business licences in order to force CAT to automatically adjust to the competition.

An NTC commissioner Sudharma Yoonaidharma said that the licensing body was expected to give answers to all the problems within the next five weeks.

Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation