Thailand’s national telecommunications regulator will complete draft guidelines for the development of the telecommunications sector by December. The goal of the plan is telecom industry growth of 13.6% over four years.

The head of the National Telecom Commission (NTC), General Chuchart Promprasit, said that the NTC was appointing a committee to draft a telecom master plan based on proposals by the NTC secretary's office, the former Post and Telegraph Department. The 2005-2008 master plan is expected to focus on promoting competition, market deregulation and equal access to telecom services. The goal of the plan is telecom industry growth of 13.6% over four years.

The plan also aims to increase the level of fixed-line ownership to 20% of the country's population, and cell-phone ownership to 58%. Thailand currently has about six million fixed line telephone users and almost 25 million cell-phone users, out of a population of around 65 million.

The NTC announced the details of its organisational structure, which will be composed of six bureaus: communications resources, competition, consumer and universal services, international, administration, and policy and regulatory development.

Some have criticised the NTC – established in August this year – as being slow to organise itself. However, NTC members said the pace of development was understandable since Thailand has never had an independent telecom regulator before.

Intelecon Research & Consultancy Ltd. 26/11/2004