Telecommunications firms have put contingency plans in place to minimise the risk of mobile and internet network congestion in the face of the imminent Bangkok shutdown.
"We're on full alert to deal with any situation to ensure there will be no service disruptions to individual or corporate customers using mobile or internet service," they vowed.
The three major mobile operators claim they have made adequate preparation in advance to deal with possible wireless communications networks failure or severe traffic congestion.
Internet service providers, particularly CAT Telecom, guarantee consumers will not experience any internet service disruptions like in the past when anti-government protesters cut off power at the state telecom's headquarters in Bang Rak district, which disrupted CAT's internet server.
Wichian Mektrakarn, the chief executive of Advanced Info Service (AIS), said the company installed two new mobile base stations and upgraded six existing bases on Ratchadamnoen Avenue and adjacent areas last November.
A few small cell sites were also installed at main intersections including Ratchaprasong.
The company also increased its 3G network throughout Bangkok to full capacity.
However, Mr Wichian admitted that customers may face some signal disruption in crowded protesting areas.
Panya Vechbanyongratana, the senior vice-president for network operations at Total Access Communication (DTAC), said the company has set up a network monitoring management team to oversee network quality countrywide.
"We'll use our advantage of having three frequencies for mobile network services, by reallocating some data bandwidth for voice service in protesting areas and boosting network capacity," he said.
Mr Panya conceded that DTAC may have to give priority to voice service, while the speed of data service might slow down.
Normally, mobile operators have proactive backup plans to deal with any incidents including network design, monitoring systems, power reserves and fibre-optic networks.
True Move said the company is on the verge of configuring mobile equipment and network systems to support a massive amount of traffic.
It will increase the capacity of mobile base stations and prepare standby staff to monitor network quality.
AIS has 37 million subscribers, DTAC has 28 million and True Move has 23 million customers.
CAT chief executive Kittisak Sriprasert insists the power cut at its headquarters last month will not be repeated.
"We've heightened our security measures for all persons entering our restricted areas and increased the number of security guards at the facility," he said.
"Half our internet exchange routes have already been transferred to other places to minimise the risk of relying heavily on a single infrastructure centre."
CAT's Bang Rak headquarters handles most domestic internet exchange centres and international internet gateways.
The site's optical fibre transmission system is linked with major telecoms operators from fixed-line telephones to mobile phone and internet services.
CAT currently has 92,000 customers, from large companies to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Last month's power cut, caused by anti-government protesters, lasted more than 10 hours and incurred losses of 300 million baht for the state enterprise, affecting 92,000 customers under CAT's internet data centre operations.
Mr Kittisak said CAT will overhaul its power standby system and computer server to enhance efficiency.
The enterprise also plans to upgrade its disaster recovery site to deal with future incidents, he said.
Anant Kaewruamvongs, chairman of the Thai Internet Service Provider Association, said Tispan members have already prepared their own backup and contingency plans involving network connectivity management and recovery system to deal with the Bangkok shutdown.
However, he declined to furnish details, saying all contingency plans are treated as confidential in order to avoid loopholes in security systems.
TIPS FROM THE GURUS
When protesters stormed the head office of CAT Telecom last Nov 30 and the power supply was cut, the internet was out in most parts of Bangkok for several hours. As the planned Bangkok shutdown looms, we talk to three executives on the most likely scenarios and what to expect if mobile and internet connections are lost.
Pansak Siriruchatapong,
Executive director
National Electronics and Computer Technology Center
Q: What if the communication system is disrupted during the rallies?
A: It is nearly impossible that the entire communication system will be disrupted, as the key telecommunications already have a backup system in place, particularly data centre and power supply.
However, if there is a failure in the internet system, I would suggest business operators use a manual system while regular users may carry more than one mobile and use more than one operator.
Internet users may also need to use fax machines while mobile users may turn to fixed-line telephones.
Q: What about a possible network jam?
A: Users should only send text messages or use chat applications such as Line rather than upload big data to avoid unexpected network jamming.
Prawit Leesatapornwongsa
Commissioner
National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission
Q: What can users do in case of network failure?
A: Users should inform the mobile or network operators right away so they can add more capacity within affected areas. Normally they send their technical staff to fix the problems after receiving complaints. In case there is any disruption or failure of the system, the operators need to compensate or waive fees for users.
Wichian Mektrakarn
Chief executive
Advanced Info Service Plc
Q: How long can operators' backup systems run after a power cut?
A: Mobile operators' switching centres could use petrol to run the network system for one day if there is a power cut at a facility. For mobile base stations, a battery can serve five hours.