Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has called on mobile phone operators to help consumers and promised a law to ensure more fairness in the telecommunications industry.
Users could see cheaper charges for using the internet on mobile phones now that the issue has Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's attention. (Photo by Thanarak Khunton)
Gen Prayut on Friday praised mobile operators and regulators for working out an agreement to switch to per-second biling for calls starting on March 1.
However, he conceded that his government needed more time to solve the problem of overpriced lottery tickets — one of the very first pledges the military made when it seized power last May
The agreement on mobile billing reached on Wednesday followed complaints from the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) was failing to protect consumers.
Currently, mobile calls are billed by the minute but even a few seconds count as a full minute, and consumers have long complained that such a system is a rip-off.
"Mobile phone service operators must provide alternatives for their customers, offering them promotional campaigns that truly satisfy their needs," Gen Prayut said on his weekly Returning Happiness to Thai People broadcast.
He also suggested that the agreement could pave the way for cheaper non-voice charges including mobile internet.
The premier said the National Reform Council would look for ways to propose a law in the future to protect customers and service providers alike, but for now both sides and the government should have "sympathy" for each other.
"We need your cooperation now, but in the future, there will be a law to protect every side involved," he said.
Gen Prayut pledged that new promotions offering cheaper charges would begin on March 1 as planned, which would give operators enough time to adjust their billing systems.
The premier was less definite about when he could solve another problem that has annoyed consumers for decades — overpriced lottery tickets.
He said the issue was "complicated" as many factors needed to be taken into account such as distance, quotas and prices, among others.
The biggest complication, however, is the stranglehold that a handful of powerful middlemen have on ticket distribution nationwide. The system results in tickets being sold for more than their face value by small vendors who say they have to overcharge just to cover their costs.
Authorities and the Government Lottery Office were trying to fix the problem, Gen Prayut said.
The military thought it could score a quick and easy public-relations victory last May when it took aim at the lottery problem, but seven months later, it's learned that even men with tanks and guns are no match for the lottery ticket cartel.
"I ask that all parties be patient because the problem of unequal pricing stems from the complex mechanisms of how tickets are sold," Gen Prayut told his TV audience on Friday night.