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Published on July 23, 2007

Total Access Communi-cation (DTAC) has offered to let state-run Thai Mobile roam with its nationwide cellular network for free in return for selling some of its unused mobile-phone numbers.

Every time DTAC requests another batch of  numbers from the NationalTelecommunications Commission(NTC), the regulator seems to take its time, making it difficult for DTAC to keep up with growing demand.

Colonel Nalikatibhag Sangsnit, a board director of TOT, which partly owns Thai Mobile, said last week that the state telecom firm had asked DTAC to propose the network roaming deal because Thai Mobile's existing arrangement with Advanced Info Service (AIS) expires next month.

Its own network covers only Bangkok, so it has to rely on AIS's network upcountry.

Thai Mobile has been paying a roaming charge of Bt2 per minute to AIS, but DTAC initially offered its nationwide network for Bt1 per minute, Nalikatibhag said.

Then TOT called in AIS to make a counter-offer. The largest cellular operator matched DTAC's offer.

Last Friday DTAC had another meeting with TOT, offering to waive roaming charges if Thai Mobile would consider allocating some of its extra phone numbers to it.

Nalikatibhag said DTAC had proposed to pay Bt2 per number per month directly to Thai Mobile.

TOT will consult with the NTC on the regulatory aspects of a transfer of phone numbers between operators.

DTAC chief commercial officer Thana Tienachariya said the talks with TOT on the possible roaming deal were positive.

DTAC may need three million to four million of Thai Mobile's surplus of 10 million numbers, he said.

Nalikatibhag denied speculation that Thai Mobile would have to shut down because Samart i-Mobile had stopped billing and marketing services.

For billing Thai Mobile has hired major handset-distributor Blisstel, he said, paying it Bt500,000 per month, far less than the Bt24 million per month it paid Samart i-Mobile.

Samart i-Mobile cut off services to Thai Mobile after it fell way behind on payments.

Thai Mobile targets 500,000 subscribers this year.

Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation