AIS Refuses to Switch to Interconnection Charge System
By Srisamorn Phoosuphanusorn, Bangkok Post, Thailand
May 23–The mobile-phone market leader Advanced Info Service (AIS) has insisted that it will not switch to an interconnection charge system with smaller rivals until TOT Plc, its concession holder, gives it the green light.
Even though AIS has signed interconnection agreements with second-ranked DTAC and third-ranked True Move, the company does not need to comply with them because they were voluntary deals based on mutual interest, said president Wichian Mektrakarn.
He said AIS would not start collecting interconnection fees from DTAC and True Move as long as the company has received no orders from TOT and the access charge dispute remains unresolved.
He said AIS feared that TOT Plc would revoke its concession contract.
“We don’t want to get involved with the access charge dispute, which is a dead-or-alive agreement involving TOT and DTAC and True Move,” he said.
“Also, we don’t want to be [placed in] a trap to help build a strong case on access charges for DTAC and True Move.”
DTAC and True Move stopped paying access charges to TOT on Nov 17, putting the bill since then at more than six billion baht. Instead, the two operators have started booking interconnection charges according to regulations spelled out by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). The framework set by the independent regulator outlines compensation payments for each operator for traffic crossing different networks.
The two operators began collecting interconnection charges on Feb 1. DTAC paid True Move about 56 million baht in February, and received 48 million baht from True Move in March.
But AIS refused to submit billing invoices to its two smaller rivals. In an invoice for February, DTAC said it would pay AIS 270 million baht; for March, the bill was 230 million baht.
He said DTAC and True Move could not force AIS to follow with the interconnection contracts because they were mutual agreements. AIS only signed the agreements with the two operators in a bid to comply with NTC rules on interconnection charges, Mr Wichian said.
The market leader will only implement the interconnection charge system if a court orders it to do so, he added.
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