CAT Telecom plans to enter into a mobile network rental agreement with True Move by March in a move aimed at solidifying continuity of management by the country's third-largest mobile operator.
The agreement will pave the way for the state telecom and its concessionaire to achieve a greater level of collaboration and partnership in network sharing, Col Sanpachai Huvanandana, CAT's acting president, said yesterday.
"The network-sharing scheme will support the government's digital economy policy in terms of the development of hard infrastructure," he said, declining to offer more details.
CAT last month also signed a memorandum of understanding with Total Access Communication (DTAC) for network sharing.
The two organisations are studying whether to set up a joint-venture company or an infrastructure fund.
DTAC's concession with CAT to provide second-generation (2G) mobile service on the 1800-megahertz spectrum will expire in 2018, while True Move's 2G concession expired in September 2013.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) initially ordered True Move to retain its existing 2G customers for one year. But True Move needed to extend the retention programme for another year to protect customers from service disruption.
Col Sanpachai also said CAT planned unconditionally to end its bitter decade-long disputes over network transfers with its concessionaires this year.
The state telecom enterprise is still locked in arbitration with its two concessionaires — DTAC and True Move — with combined damage claims worth more than 10 billion baht.
There are 15 disputes between CAT and DTAC and seven involving CAT and True Move.
Col Sanpachai said the end of the disputes would open the door to mutual business opportunities and partnerships between parties.
It would also create new revenue streams and enable CAT to become a telecommunications network service provider instead of solely a telecom operator.