Five major mobile operators have agreed in principle to start charging customers on a per-second basis from March 1.
After a consumer report took them to task for per-minute mobile pricing, the five big operators will try a per-second system beginning March 1. THANARAK KHUNTON
The five — AIS, DTAC, True Move, TOT Plc and CAT Telecom — have committed to providing new promotional packages on a per-second basis, said Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
The agreement was signed yesterday after operators met with the NBTC to discuss the possibility of per-second charging.
The move came after the National Reform Council on Tuesday endorsed a report by an NRC committee on consumer protection reform.
The report proposed that mobile phone fees be charged per second instead of per minute.
The operators said setting airtime charges on a per-second basis would not be a big deal, requiring only adjustments to IT and billing systems.
But they said the new scheme could apply only to domestic calls, as international and roaming calls are charged on a six-second basis.
"The new airtime charge on a per-second basis will serve as a trial period for the initial six months," Mr Takorn said, adding that existing mobile customers could transfer to the new airtime packages with no extra charges.
Operators will have to create their own websites to let customers check their remaining airtime or seconds, starting from March 1.
After the trial period ends on Sept 1, the NBTC will ask operators to gauge market response and the amount of customers that have transferred to the new per-second system.
Mr Takorn acknowledged that the per-second system would inevitably affect revenue and profit margins. But he stressed the need to safeguard the public interest and consumers.
The secretary-general said it was too early to tell whether per-second airtime charging would cost more or less than the existing system.
But he underscored that the per-second package must not exceed 99 satang a minute in order to comply with existing NBTC regulations governing mobile voice service.
Sutichai Cheunchoosil, senior vice-president of Advanced Info Service, remained coy about the details of AIS's new per-second promotional packages.
Chakkrit Urairat, deputy director for regulatory relations at True Corporation, the parent of True Move, said his company would have to act quickly to develop a new call-data recording system and back office to serve the new airtime scheme.
Most operators declined to comment on how or whether the new policy would have an impact on revenue.
NBTC vice secretary-general Korkij Darnchaivijit said Thailand already offered some of the world's cheapest call rates, averaging 84 satang a minute.