State-owned telco CAT and private mobile operator True Move have inked a partnership to provide 3G mobile services, according to reports.
This alliance brings some relief for True – its 2G licence expires in 2013 while the 3G licence auction in the…
State-owned telco CAT and private mobile operator True Move have inked a partnership to provide 3G mobile services, according to reports.
This alliance brings some relief for True – its 2G licence expires in 2013 while the 3G licence auction in the country is still on hold. It also comes in the wake of the True-HCWM deal.
A few days ago, True said it would buy a majority stake in Hutchison CAT Wireless Multimedia (HCWM) from Hutchison Telecommunications International (HTI) for about Bt4.35bn (US$145m).
Hong Kong-based HTI has a 74% stake in HCWM, while Thai state-owned cellco CAT Telecom holds the remaining 26%. True Move is part of Thai telecom conglomerate True Corp.
The board of CAT has reportedly agreed that it will terminate its marketing contract with Hutch and will sign a new 14-year contract with True to provide both 2G and 3G services.
In December, a new law aimed at creating an independent body in charge of 3G frequency allocation came into effect in December after receiving royal endorsement. Once the NBTC is set up, sometime in 2011, the 3G spectrum auction is expected to start again, ending the long delay to the country’s licensing process.
