Thai cabinet approves TOT's 3G plan

The cabinet meeting on Tuesday approved TOT's 3G business plan, Information and Communications Technology Minister Juti Krairiksh said.

Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) has been authorized to issue 3G licenses since 2002 and will be able to execute 3G business plan as soon as receiving approval from the cabinet, according to Juti.

A subsidiary has to be set up to manage 3G project in order to lower possible risk which may occur from investment, he said. The investment budget was reduced from 29 billion baht to 19 billion baht.

The minister said the number of base stations will increase from 4,700 to 5,400 and they will cover key areas in Bangkok and about 15 provinces. The infrastructure must be shared to reduce overlapping investment costs, he added.

Network of 3G service under TOT's plan will cover around 80 percent of all users and will ready be within 6 months, the minister said.

Source: Xinhua