The telecom regulator has urged Total Access Communication (DTAC) to give proper compensation to subscribers who lost the chance to sign up for the government’s 50-50 co-payment scheme due to technical glitches in the mobile operator’s one-time password (OTP) system Wednesday morning.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) summoned DTAC to explain the problem Wednesday afternoon.
Speaking after the meeting, Trairat Viriyasirikul, acting secretary-general of the NBTC, said the regulator acknowledged DTAC’s commitment to offering proper compensation to affected customers.
He said all mobile operators should maintain their operational systems well, which would support the government’s policy of public assistance.
The 50-50 co-payment scheme in this second phase subsidises registered individuals who make purchases at small shops, with the government subsidising 50% of payments up to 150 baht per day and no more than 3,500 baht per person during the three-month period starting Jan 1.
The first phase of the scheme, which runs from Oct 23 to 31 Dec, proved popular among members of the public and local vendors.
According to DTAC’s statement, some of its services, including Call Center 1678, DTAC application, OTP verification, online payment and top-up services, went down Wednesday morning but most of them, including the OTP system, resumed later that morning.
However, using the OTP system is essential to register the scheme and many DTAC subscribers complained they failed to get OTPs until the quota of 5 million people was full.
The registration started at 6am on Wednesday, and the quota was full about two hours later.
The glitch prompted a huge number of DTAC subscribers to make complaints on the operator’s Facebook page.
Speaking at the NBTC, Narupon Rattanasamaharn, head of DTAC's regulatory division, said the company promises it will compensate affected customers.
The OTP system was fully fixed by 10am on Wednesday, he said.
“We promise to give proper compensation to our affected customers,” Mr Narupon said, adding that the NBTC had asked the company to make compensation available until March, when the second phase of the scheme ends.
Meanwhile, DTAC issued another statement Wednesday evening, saying DTAC will provide up to 3,500-baht worth of compensation for the affected subscribers.
The remedies include top-up bonuses, free calls and data usage as well as discounts for mobile phone purchases.
“DTAC will inform our affected customers via SMS as quickly as possible,” it said. The customers who receive such an SMS can contact DTAC to receive the compensation from Dec 17-23.