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Published on October 2, 2007

A CAT source yesterday said DTAC Network's service trial using the "+" sign without its own international-call number was inappropriate.

DTAC Network, which holds a licence from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), has allowed DTAC subscribers to dial the "+" sign followed by the destination numbers when making international calls via its network.

The NTC, which granted an international-business licence to DTAC Network in February, has yet to give the company a phone number with which to offer the service.

CAT said the "+" sign had long been used automatically to route mobile-phone calls to CAT's 001 international-call service.

Earlier AIN Global Com, an international-call subsidiary of Advanced Info Service and an NTC international-call business licence-holder, had adopted a practice similar to DTAC Network's, prompting CAT to ask the NTC to look into the matter.

Later, the NTC ordered AIN to stop offering service via the "+" prefix on a temporary basis, pending an NTC probe into the case. AIN currently offers international-call services via the prefix 005, granted by the NTC.

A DTAC source said CAT had already discussed with DTAC on how DTAC Network's service should not seriously affect CAT's flagship business.

CAT expects a decline in international-call revenue to about Bt9 billion this year, from a previous annual average of Bt10 billion.

Faced with the possibility of receiving new applications to run international-call services, the NTC has found itself with only one three-digit prefix - 006 - left for newcomers. It has therefore asked TOT and CAT to return some of their inactive three-digit numbers, including CAT's 004 and TOT's 002 and 003.

 Telecom Reporters

 The Nation