10-digit phone numbers due in June

.. · February 16, 2006

All mobile users need to add an '8'

SRISAMORN PHOOSUPHANUSORN

KOMSAN TORTERMVASANA

Local telephone users will have one more digit to remember starting in June, according to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

The switch to 10 digits from nine will increase the potential number of telephone numbers from 90 million to 300 million, sufficient for expected growth over the next 30 years.

Mobile-phone users will have to add an '8' in the middle of the existing two-digit prefix, followed by the existing seven-digit number, in order to make a mobile-to-mobile call. For example, numbers starting with 01 and 09 will become 081 and 089 respectively.

Gen Choochart Promprasit, the NTC chairman, said the NTC board would discuss the new 10-digit system this week, with the result to be proposed to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for acknowledgement.

"We expect to start implementing the 10-digit system within three to four months, with the mobile phone system first" he said.

TOT Plc has so far given out 87 million of the 90 million telephone numbers available nationally: 29 million to fixed-line operators, 22 million to Advanced Info Service, 12 million to DTAC, 6.5 million to True Move (formerly TA Orange) and one million to Thai Mobile.

Thai Mobile also has received 10 million numbers starting with 08 for future business. The company has been in existence for nearly four years but infighting between its two state shareholders, TOT and CAT Telecom, has stunted its development. It has only a few thousand paying customers.

The NTC recently allocated two million new numbers to DTAC and another one million to True Move.

Thailand currently has about 29 million mobile users, 96% of whom are customers of AIS, DTAC or True Move.

The decision to move to a 10-digit system is a response to complaints last year by operators that they were running short of numbers.

DTAC had claimed that of its 11.7 million numbers, more than 70% _ the minimum requirement for operators to request a new allocation _ had been allocated to its customer base of 8.7 million. True Move also claimed it was on the verge of running short.

The NTC responded by threatening to collect fees on unused numbers from operators in an attempt to prevent number hoarding.

Local cellular operators have hailed the new numbering plan, saying it was suited to a market where prepaid users account for more than 80% of all customers.

The problem companies face is that prepaid customers switch allegiance frequently, depending on which provider is offering the most attractive calling rates at a given time.

Operators typically reserve numbers that have gone unused for 60 or 90 days in case their defecting customers return.

Weerachai Patcharopartwong, assistant vice-president for business relations and development of AIS, said that changing to 10 digits would involve minimal cost for a software upgrade.

"There would have no effect on our operations since the new numbering system requires no change in customers' existing numbers," he said.

The company will allow customers to upgrade their SIM cards free of charge by inserting an '8' into all mobile numbers in the memory.

Thana Thienachariya, chief commercial officer of DTAC, also said his company would have no problem converting as long as the NTC gave it sufficient time to prepare.