Major players eyeing NT subscriber bases

NT president keen on private partnership

- KOMSAN TORTERMVASANA

Two major telecom operators are racing to buy National Telecom's (NT) mobile phone and retail fixed broadband internet subscriber bases.

NT president Colonel Sanphachai Havanandana said NT is seeking a private partnership to help solve its combined operational losses from the mobile phone service and fixed broadband internet service of several billion baht per year, due to high operating costs and fierce competition.

“The partnership must be based on a fair basis,” he noted.

Col Sanphachai told the Bangkok Post that NT’s management and Advanced Info Service (AIS) have been in talks over this new partnership for a year.

AIS recently proposed such a partnership with preliminary details to NT's management, noting that it wants to help NT restructure businesses to achieve sustainability and solve its revenue structure problem.

Col Sanphachai said that AIS's arch rival, True Corporation, is expected to submit a similar proposal to NT soon.

UNLIKELY TO MATERIALISE

Col Sanphachai said the AIS proposed partnership is unlikely to materialise, given that it is a complicated issue.