The Telecommunications Association of Thailand (TCT) has urged the telecom regulator to grant a reprieve for several obligatory annual fee payments from telecom operators, as their business is being hampered by the coronavirus crisis.
The request was submitted when some TCT board members met National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) secretary-general Takorn Tantasith yesterday.
The TCT asked the regulator to waive annual fee payment in several categories for six months starting from July, including numbering fees for fixed-line and mobile phone services, licence fees for radio communication base stations and licence fees for radio communication equipment.
The NBTC was also asked to reduce telecom operators' annual licence fees and universal service obligation fees.
The regulator was urged to coordinate with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and the Provincial Electricity Authority to suspend the underground cable conduit project to cut expenses during this difficult time.
TCT president Monchai Noosong said telecom businesses have been hampered by the pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures. As their shops were closed, they were unable to seek new customers, he said.
Telecom operators also have to support the government's measures in assisting the public during the pandemic, including 10 gigabytes of free internet data, free calls and work-from-home solutions without charge, Mr Monchai said.
"Although broadband traffic has risen as people consume more data than usual, income has not increased for operators because of lower service fee collection," he said. "Companies also have to shoulder more burden for the maintenance of telecom networks.
"The TCT will gather views from our members for formal requests that will be proposed to the NBTC again soon."
Mr Takorn said the TCT's request would be considered by the NBTC's board. But the NBTC will consider the request with care and make sure the reprieve won't affect the agency's expenditure or financial liquidity, he said.
The agency's income is divided into three parts. The first, at about 4 billion baht a year, is used for the NBTC's office expenses. A certain portion will have to be diverted to the Digital Economy and Society Development Fund and the rest sent to the state coffers.
Referring to the request to suspend the underground conduit project, Mr Takorn said some neutral solutions must be found by making sure telecom operators won't suffer and the project's timeline won't be significantly affected.
The government's underground conduit project is aimed at beautifying Bangkok.
Some 27 kilometres of the scheme was completed in 2019 and another 52km is planned to be completed this year.
The request for the reprieve comes only days after the NBTC board resolved to extend the payment term of annual licence fees for telecom and broadcasting companies to ease their financial hardship, particularly during the pandemic.