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The following important policies were formulated by the NTC
as a guideline for governing telecommunication services in the
country:
Frequency management
– Allocate fair distribution and efficient
use of frequency for the ultimate benefit of the citizen and the
country
Competition
– Support market mechanisms to generate fair compe-
tition in the telecommunications market and relevant industry
Licensing
– Grant licences to promote free and fair competition
and to prevent anti-competitive conduct
Internet
– Promote widespread Internet provision with the lowest
charge or licence fee exemption
Licensing and enforcement
– Regulate telecommunications business
operation on a fair competitive basis to ensure that service charges
can compete with those at a regional level, and that the services
are of good quality
Interconnection
– Establish rules for interconnection charge on a
fair cost basis
Telecommunications numbering
– Allocate efficient and adequate
telecommunications numbers for network expansion and assign
special numbers for public actives, national security and emergency.
Universal service access
– Strive for equal and universal service
access throughout the country
Industry promotion
– Promote competitiveness of telecommuni-
cations industry at national and international levels by supporting
research and development, and telecommunications equipment
manufacturing
Consumer protection
– Set measures that allow consumers to have
choices of telecommunication services with standard quality and
fair price
Human resource development
– Promote human resource devel-
opment for NTC staff.
The NTC held both virtual and actual public consultations on
various key issues. Comments and advice from the general public
are welcomed by posting on the website, and two public consul-
tations have been held to receive comments and recommendations
from stakeholders.
The first consultation was held on 9 June 2005, and considered
the Draft Telecommunications Master Plan 2005-2007. The
consultation has been divided into five groups:
Group one
– Telecommunications Business Competition and Fee
Structure
Group two
– Telecommunication Business Licensing and Non-
Business Licensing Promotion
Group three
– Interconnection and Telecommunications Resources
Management
Group four
– Universal Services Obligation and Consumer
Protection
Group five
– Educational and Industrial Telecommunications
Development and Disaster Preparedness.
The second consultation, focusing on four different regulatory
issues, was held on 28 July 2005:
Group one
– rules and procedures for telecommunications busi-
ness operation licensing including types and categories of services
subject for licenses
Group two
– Universal and social services on basic telecommu-
nications
Group three
– Numbering plan
Group four
– Telecommunications Business Operation licensing
fee and numbering fee.
The major issues of public consultation attracted the attention of
telecommunications operators, stakeholders, government sectors,
financial institutions and law firms, as well as the general public.
Comments and recommendations received from the consultations
will be taken into account to formulate the Telecommunications
Master Plan and to regulate and to promote telecommunications
services in the country.
The NTC has formulated a draft Spectrum Management Master
Plan as a direction and guideline for administrating the spectrum
management of the country. The public consultation on the Draft
Spectrum Management Master Plan 2005-2007 was held in July
2005 by the NTC in order to gather comments and recommenda-
tions for developing and regulating spectrum management in
Thailand.
The Telecommunications Master Plan 2005-2007, formulated by
the NTC to regulate and promote telecommunications services,
was publicized in the Government Gazette from 3 August 2005 as
having been implemented. In June 2005, the first Internet licence
covering narrowband, broadband and Internet leased line was
granted to KSC Commercial Internet. The NTC has subsequently
granted Internet licences to a number of Internet service providers
(ISPs), which do not have their own network on which to operate
their businesses.
On 4 August 2005, the NTC celebrated the 122nd anniversary
of National Telecommunications Day and granted six telecom-
munications operating licences. Type I and Type III were given to
TOT and to CAT Telecom, the incumbent telecommunications
operators, under the Telecommunications Business Act.
The granted licences cover the existing telecommunications
services, having been operated by those two companies. The
licences provided to TOT are for fixed-line, ISDN, 470MHz and
900MHz mobile phone, Internet, trunk mobile, paging, interna-
tional phone, leased line, audiotext and card phone services.
CAT Telecom was offered licences on a number of services such
as CDMA 800, 1800, maritime and aviation radio, trunk mobile,
satellite communications, international phone, data communica-
tions and Internet services.
To promote telecommunications business in Thailand, NTC
has striven to achieve the following key missions.
1. Detailing, within 180 days, as from September 1, 2005, the
terms and conditions for telecommunications business licens-
ing, having been granted to CAT Telecom and TOT
2. Prescribing rules and procedures on licensing issuance for the
third-generation mobile phone (3G), international gateway,
and satellite network, approximately by the end of the year
2005
3. Setting up the telecommunications business-licensing fee,
interconnection, numbering plan and competition code for
regulating the telecommunications industry
4. Enhancing equal access to the existing networks of all opera-
tors under the interconnection framework as well as prescribing
rules for settling disputes arising from interconnection.
5. Prescribing rules on competitive safeguards to prevent anti-
competitive behaviour.
6. Targeting, within the Universal Service Access framework, the
establishment of community access points for public telecom-
munications services such as health centres, schools and
religious houses, as well as bringing advantages to handicapped
persons, children and the elderly, to ensure universal access
to the infrastructure and applications.
7. Drafting rules and procedures governing universal and social
services on basic telecommunications.
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