Four members of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Thailand’s broadcast and telecom regulator, have proposed that the commission consider the service charges and quality of True Corporation after the successful merger of Total Access Communications Company (DTAC) and True Corporation (TRUE) in March this year.
The commissioners say that they have received complaints from many subscribers that the quality of the mobile phone and internet services of TRUE have dropped, while the service charges have increased through changes to service packages.
As the NBTC is scheduled to meet this Wednesday, the four commissioners proposed that the service quality and charges of TRUE should be included in the meeting agenda, noting that the regulator is legally tasked with ensuring quality telecom services and fair service charges for consumers.
The commissioners also pointed out that a sub-committee, tasked with following up on the merger between DTAC and TRUE, is empowered to assess the service of the merged entity periodically, to make sure that it strictly complies with the merger conditions.
The four commissioners are Suphat Suphachalasai, Air Marshal Thanapant Raicharoen, Pirongrong Ramasoota and Somphob Phurivikraipong. There are altogether 11 commissioners.
The merger in March was billed as the largest telecom merger in Southeast Asia by combined enterprise value. The deal has resulted in an increase in True Corporation’s customer base, the new entity of the merger deal, to 55 million mobile subscribers, compared to the 45 million of former market leader, Advanced Services Plc (AIS).
