NTC should handle access charges dispute, says CAT

(Bangkok Post via NewsEdge) The access charge dispute between Thai carriers TOT, DTAC and True Move has taken a turn for the worse for the state telecom enterprise, as its sibling state agency CAT Telecom has decided to refer the issue to the National Telecommunications Commission for final judgment.

Earlier, TOT demanded that CAT Telecom pay access charges, and in turn sue the two mobile operators that hold CAT concessions.

Under the terms of the operators' original concessions, CAT says it could seek compensation worth double what it pays for access charges.

Information and Communications Technology minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom said the ministry would no longer intervene in the case, and he also doubted that the NTC would want to get involved. He said he and the regulator could later face legal action if their decisions were challenged.

DTAC and True Move stopped paying network access charges to TOT in November last year, arguing that the new interconnection rates approved by the NTC should take precedence.

TOT claims it is owed 6 billion baht ($192 million) and CAT has agreed to pay a first installment of 2.4 billion baht ($77.1 million) on the mobile operators' behalf.

Tosporn Simtrakarn, SVP for corporate strategy of CAT Telecom, said CAT wanted the NTC to interpret the real meanings of access and interconnection charges.

'The decision should be made in the interest of consumers' benefits, not operators,' he said.

Since the NTC is a state regulatory body, he said, TOT might need to accept the interconnection charge regulations in line with international standards.

He also said the TOT board should not be afraid of lawsuits over the issue.