Thailand's Dtac plans to commercially launch LTE services over the 1800-MHz band from next month to complement its existing 2100-MHz 4G service.
By adding 10 MHz of 1800-MHz spectrum to its initial 5 MHz in the 2100-MHz band, Dtac will become the Thai operator with the largest amount of bandwidth allocated for 4G, the Bangkok Postreported.
The operator aims to leverage this advantage to help differentiate through efficient and flexible 4G services, the report states.
Dtac has finally secured approval from concession owner CAT and regulator NBTC to provide 4G services over a portion of the 1800-MHz band.
The company had originally been prohibited from using the band for LTE due to the terms of its concession arrangement with CAT, and a push by CAT to be allowed to use the spectrum for its own mobile services.
With the upgraded network Dtac aims to increase its 4G customer base to 2.5 million by the end of the year, up from 1.6 million today. The company currently has 3,000 4G base stations, and aims to increase this to 5,000 next year.
Competition in Thailand's 4G market is expected to heat up following the planned auction of more LTE-capable spectrum in November.