Mobile phone network providers will start charging customers by the second for airtime from March 1, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says.
He said the new rates cannot be implemented immediately because it will take time to change to the new system.
"Changing the entire system [of airtime charges] is no easy task.
"We can't do it in a day or two," he said during his televised weekly address on Friyday.
The premier said mobile phone service operators must give their customers options by offering them promotional campaigns to suit their needs.
The government, the phone service providers and consumers must be patient when something new is introduced, Gen Prayut said.
He added that in future, there will be a law to protect the interests of phone operators and users.
"Please rest assured that the National Reform Council will find a way to benefit all stakeholders," the prime minister said.
He credited the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and the commercial mobile phone operators for deciding to charge customers per second, instead of rounding up the excess seconds into extra minutes.
On the subject of government lottery tickets, which are sold at varying prices at different locations, Gen Prayut also asked for more time to solve the problem.
He insisted the issue is complicated as many factors need to be taken into account such as distance, quotas, and prices, among others.
"I ask that all parties be patient because the problem of unequal pricing stems from the complex mechanisms of how tickets are sold," he said.
The problem stems from the ticket quota system, which includes a number of middlemen.
The prime minister said the government puts the people who are employed by the sale of lottery tickets, many of whom are blind or disabled, ahead of revenue gained from sales.