Thai telcos Advanced Info Service (AIS) and Total Access Communication (DTAC) have agreed to share 2,000 towers to accelerate the expansion of their networks. The companies aim to start sharing the sites before the end of this year under a pilot scheme,…
Thai telcos Advanced Info Service (AIS) and Total Access Communication (DTAC) have agreed to share 2,000 towers to accelerate the expansion of their networks.
The companies aim to start sharing the sites before the end of this year under a pilot scheme, which comes not long after DTAC agreed a separate infrastructure joint venture with state-owned CAT Telecom that plans to launch operations in 2016.
Commenting on the AIS partnership, DTAC CTO Prathet Tankuranun said: “The infrastructure sharing helps reduce redundant investment in installation, shorten lead times in expanding coverage area and improving network quality, and reduce environmental problems caused by redundant telecom towers built in the same area.”
AIS and DTAC operate a reported 20,000 and 12,000 towers, respectively. Further details of their agreement were not announced.
The partnership deals are in line with local regulator NBTC’s policy to improve telecoms services in the country through sharing infrastructure and equipment.
DTAC, owned by Norwegian incumbent telco Telenor, secured Thailand’s first infrastructure sharing deal in October by agreeing a leasing agreement with Truegif, a fund partly held by local telco True Corp.
Its plans to share sites with CAT have been hobbled by legal disputes over the ownership of more than 10,000 towers. Some 15 disputes locked in arbitration are set to be scrapped once Thailand’s government approves their partnership deal, according to local reports.
Infrastructure sharing is an increasingly common way for mobile operators around the world to cut costs. Similar partnership deals have been struck in the UK, Spain, Canada, Brazil, India and Malaysia.
