Thai mobile incumbent AIS has finally reached a commercial agreement with state-owned operator TOT involving the commercial use of TOT's 2100-MHz spectrum assets.
AIS has agreed to pay TOT 3.9 billion baht ($121.4 million) per year for use of the spectrum under a deal which will allow the operator to use 80% of TOT's 2100-MHz capacity for its own network roaming, the Bangkok Post reported.
TOT will meanwhile be able to use 16,000 base stations from AIS' 2100-MHz network for its own mobile services.
The state-owned operator plans to rebrand its 2100-MHz mobile business from TOT 3G to TOT Mobile, and aims to increase its mobile subscriber base from the current 100,000 users to 3 million by 2020 by bundling offers for mobile and fixed broadband services.
As part of its growth ambitions TOT plans to provide 1 million low-cost SIMs to recipients of the government's new welfare scheme for low-income earners.
TOT and AIS had been partnering on providing mobile services over the 2100-MHz spectrum since July 2016, and TOT had already been paying TOT 10 billion baht per year through agreements covering tower rental fees, spectrum usage and 2G equipment rental fees. But a full commercial agreement had been delayed by the requirement to secure approval from the Office of the Attorney General.