State telecom enterprise National Telecom (NT) plans to ask the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to extend by 90 days its right to use three spectrum bands beyond the expiry date of September 2025.
NT said it wants to ensure a smooth transfer of its existing customers to other bands.
The three bands scheduled to expire are 850-megahertz, 2100MHz and 2300MHz, on which NT operates its mobile service under its own brand and has allowed major telecom operators to use spectrum capacity under partnership contracts for a decade.
NT president Col Sanphachai Huvanandana said more than 100,000 customers use the 3G wireless broadband service on NT's 850MHz network. These customers might have to change their mobile devices to 4G handsets following the transition to NT's 700MHz band.
He said around 17 million customers of True Corporation are connected with NT's 850MHz network under a partnership agreement. They would not be affected by the expiration of the bands as True would be able to transfer these customers to its other bands.
Beyond September 2025, the 700MHz band would be the only one still held by NT.
NT's mobile phone service brand -- "My by NT" -- has only 1.7 million subscribers. The state agency has yet to commence its 700MHz mobile phone service.
NT was formed through the merger of state telecom agencies TOT and CAT Telecom.
CAT, before merging with TOT, grabbed bandwidth of 20MHz on the 700MHz band for upload and download in 2020 via an auction.
CAT split the bandwidth into two parts. NT will operate its 700MHz service on a section covering 10 MHz of bandwidth and has already transferred the remaining part to Advanced Wireless Network (AWN), a subsidiary of Advanced Info Service (AIS).
Last year NT and AIS entered into agreements concerning telecom equipment rental on NT's 700MHz spectrum and nationwide roaming which is aimed at enhancing and expanding the 4G/5G capabilities of both companies.
Under the agreements, AWN will establish a 4G/5G network on the 700 MHz spectrum with a total of 13,500 base stations within two years.
The network will be used by NT to provide mobile phone services, including both 4G and 5G, for NT's customers.
Col Sanphachai said the NBTC recently assigned NT to prepare a plan to migrate customers from the three expiring spectrum ranges and outline its business operations after the expiry of its right to use the three bands. It must submit all its plans to the regulator by August 2024.
The customers' migration from the spectra would not only impact NT's 1.7 million existing customers but also many mobile phone subscribers in the market as parts of the mobile phone traffic operated by AIS and True Corporation are connected with the three bands via partnership agreements.
Col Sanphachai said NT has completed its over-the-air (OTA) system that would help upgrade customers' SIM cards on 2G or 3G so they would be able to access a mobile service via the 4G system.
