Talk over Pokemon no-go zones fails in first round

Talk over Pokemon no-go zones fails in first round

A woman points her smartphone at Government House as she plays 'Pokemon Go'. The NBTC wants to set up no-go zones for the game. THANARAK KHUNTON
A woman points her smartphone at Government House as she plays 'Pokemon Go'. The NBTC wants to set up no-go zones for the game. THANARAK KHUNTON

The first round of negotiations between the telecom regulator and representatives of Pokemon Go developer Niantic over the removal of sensitive locations from the game's scope ended without an agreement yesterday.

The discussion lasted only 20 minutes, taking place at the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) headquarters.

However, representatives from international law firm Baker & McKenzie (Thailand), whom US-based Niantic assigned to negotiate with the NBTC, said they will pass on all of the discussion details to Niantic for it to make a decision.

Korkij Danchaivichit, the NBTC deputy secretary-general, said the regulator provided details involving its request to set up four "no-go zones" for players in Thailand to keep them out of restricted or dangerous areas.

The four areas encompass state property, temples, private land and dangerous areas such as roads, waterways and railways.

"A second round of negotiations will take place soon," Mr Korkij said.

He said the regulator wants Niantic to quickly come to a deal with a clear direction on the request in order to address security concerns.

The NBTC sent an electronic letter to Niantic on Aug 11, asking it to set up the four no-go zones for players in Thailand.

Niantic replied on Aug 26 via fax, agreeing to open negotiations over the regulator's request.

The NBTC also demanded all mobile operators provide player guides to enhance safety when playing as well as an alert system for parents to prevent children from excessive purchases of game items.

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