World Dialogue on Regulation

Thailand’s national telecommunications regulator will complete draft guidelines for the development of the telecommunications sector by December. The goal of the plan is telecom industry growth of 13.6% over four years.

The head of the National Telecom Commission (NTC), General Chuchart Promprasit, said that the NTC was appointing a committee to draft a telecom master plan based on proposals by the NTC secretary's office, the former Post and Telegraph Department. The 2005-2008 master plan is expected to focus on promoting competition, market deregulation and equal access to telecom services. The goal of the plan is telecom industry growth of 13.6% over four years.

The plan also aims to increase the level of fixed-line ownership to 20% of the country's population, and cell-phone ownership to 58%. Thailand currently has about six million fixed line telephone users and almost 25 million cell-phone users, out of a population of around 65 million.

The NTC announced the details of its organisational structure, which will be composed of six bureaus: communications resources, competition, consumer and universal services, international, administration, and policy and regulatory development.

Some have criticised the NTC – established in August this year – as being slow to organise itself. However, NTC members said the pace of development was understandable since Thailand has never had an independent telecom regulator before.

Intelecon Research & Consultancy Ltd. 26/11/2004