TELECOMMUNICATIONS

A new interconnection charge (IC) of 50 satang a minute for mobile voice service will take effect this month, says the chief of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).

The new IC standard will pave the way for the regulatory body to start granting infrastructure-sharing licences for telecom services by September.

Col Settapong Malisuwan, chairman of the NBTC's telecom committee, said the IC rate will be announced this month, becoming effective immediately.

Mobile operators are currently setting different IC rates ranging from 50 satang to 1.07 baht a minute, depending on agreements between the parties.

Col Settapong said infrastructure-sharing licences will include mobile towers and fibre-optic networks, allowing telecom operators to share their networks among each other.

The licences will offer both voluntary and compulsory features for infrastructure owners _ essentially for TOT and CAT Telecom.

Col Settapong said the infrastructure-sharing licences will encourage both TOT and CAT to share their networks with existing operators and newcomers alike.

It also encourages the state enterprises to focus on serving as network service providers rather than operators.

Col Settapong also urged TOT and CAT to discuss future network cooperation with their concessionaires before their contracts expire.

The two state enterprises will not be able to book all concession-related revenue into their financial statements as their own after December 2013, according to the Frequency Allocation Act.