Telephone
- Main lines in use: 9.1 million (2007)
- Mobile cellular: 98 million (2011)
- Fixed Line Operators: TOT, True Corporation and TT&T
- Mobile Operators (largest first): AIS GSM 900, AIS GSM 1800, DTAC, True Move, Hutch (taken over by RealMove a subsidiary of True Corp.), CAT CDMA, Thai Mobile 1900 (inactive), TOT3G (i-mobile3GX, IEC3G, i-kool3G, 365)
- Major Voice over IP (VoIP) Operators: CAT2Call (CAT Telecom), TrueNetTalk (True Corporation), Mouthmun (Jasmine Internet), DeeCall (SawasdeeSHOP)
- Recently, the NTC granted the existing mobile phone operators the right to undertake "in-band migration" from 2G into 3G using 900 and 850 MHz. The IMT Band Plan has already been approved in January 2009. The proposed band plan reflects IMT 2000 recommendation. It is expected that the 2.1 GHz will be up for an auction within 2009. It has been reported that NTC will device Multiple Round/ Ascending auction technique for 3 blocks of 10 MHz paired and one block of 15 MHz paired. I
- In September 2010, NTC arranged 3.9G licenses auction (IMT 2100). But CAT Telecom sued the NTC in the Administrative Court, claimed that NTC does not have authority to hold the auction. Following a petition filed by the government's wholly owned companies, the High Administrative Court issued an injunction order on September 23, 2010, to stop 3G auction resulting in near guarantee of domination of the incumbent to exploit 2G services. Only government owned operators (i.e. TOT and CAT) are allowed to roll out 3G.
- The suspension order issued by the Administrative Court paved way for incumbents to undertake rent extracting activities rather than direct investment. In 2011, CAT sold its right to offer 3G to its concessionaire which is True Move in a complex M&A deal. The True-Hutch-CAT arrangement is under investigation by different agencies; while TOT sublicensed its 3G network to Samart Corporation subject to the Administrative Court deliberation of the legality of the contract. Liberalization and privatization are, in effect, put on hold.
Read more about this topic: Communications In Thailand
Famous quotes containing the word telephone:
“It’s a hard feeling when everyone’s in a hurry to talk to somebody else, but not to talk to you. Sometimes you get a feeling of need to talk to somebody. Somebody who wants to listen to you other than “Why didn’t you get me the right number?””
—Heather Lamb, U.S. telephone operator. As quoted in Working, book 2, by Studs Terkel (1973)
“But even in a telephone booth
evil can seep out of the receiver
and we must cover it with a mattress,
and then tear it from its roots
and bury it,
bury it.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“Men will not give up their privilege of helplessness without a struggle. The average man has a carefully cultivated ignorance about household matters—from what to do with the crumbs to the grocer’s telephone number—a sort of cheerful inefficiency which protects him better than the reputation for having a violent temper.”
—Crystal Eastman (1881–1928)