Network

September 9, 2019 – dtac, in partnership with Ericsson, has introduced its staff to 5G services in its 5G pilot area. The internal test bed is located at the Never Stop Cafe, the newest hangout spot at dtac House. Mr. Prathet Tankuranun, Chief Technology Officer, Total Access Communication PLC or dtac, said: “dtac’s live 5G trial is critical to better understanding real-world 5G use cases. A lot of collaboration will be needed in order to develop a robust ecosystem to support 5G and test beds such as these are important to move forward on this.” dtac’s internal 5G trial operates on the 28 GHz millimeter wave frequency band, granted by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) for testing purposes. 5G offers ultra-low latencies and data transfer speeds. The technical team installed the 28 GHz cell site for 5G at the Never Stop Cafe, a new spot for employees to hang out. The 5G testbed’s download speeds were clocked in at over 1.8 Gbps. Staff at dtac House are able to experience this super high-speed internet through 5G Wi-Fi, allowing them to connect via any Wi-Fi-enabled smartphone or connected device. Additionally, dtac has joined hands with Ericsson to demonstrate 5G…

  6th Sep 2019 – dtac has set up emergency battery-charging stations for flood affected people in these following areas in Northeastern regions of Thailand : Hua Taphan district, Amnat Charoen province, Khueang Nai district, Ubon Ratchathani province, Chiang Khwan district, Roi Et Province. Dtac has been providing free battery-charging stations indefinitely for the affected people whose home electricity have been cut out due to the tremendous flood. We have set up the temporary safety tent and sent out the rescue team to provide necessary help in this following manners. Providing foods and clean water Providing free emergency phone call Providing emergency top-up Dtac has also swiftly  sent out the network maintenance unit to the flood affected area to monitor and fix the network site. This is to ensure the network’s ability and efficiency toward this situation.

August 13, 2019 – dtac announced a network expansion plan to continue to add new cell sites for its 900 MHz and 700 MHz spectrum in 2019. The company also set a new industry record for fastest network expansion over a period of 12 months, doubling its customer satisfaction score as a result. dtac never stops expanding its network and has recently set the Thai telecom industry record of the most cell sites (21,146) added over a period of 12 months (July 2018 – June 2019). According to a report by the NBTC, the average number of new cell sites added by dtac in 2017 and 2018 was 10,040 and 9,411 sites respectively (sources: https://bit.ly/2GNYQnF  and https://bit.ly/2M0zaII ), meaning dtac doubled its usual rate of expansion. Mr. Prathet Tankuranun, Chief Technology Officer, Total Access Communication PLC or dtac, said, “dtac has rapidly added new cell sites nationwide to respond to customers’ growing demand for mobile Internet connectivity. Our customers now consume approximately 400-500 MB per person per day. To keep up with this growth, dtac has been adding new cell sites at double our average yearly rate. The effects can be felt in our customer satisfaction surveys: dtac doubled its…

August 1, 2019 – dtac has installed signal boosters to provide 4G mobile coverage for passengers riding the MRT Blue Line extension. The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) has begun offering free test rides to the public from Wat Mangkon to Tha Phra during the trial run starting July 29, 2019 until September 28, 2019. The official launch date of the completed Blue Line extension from Hua Lamphong to Lak Song has been set for September 29, 2019. The Wat Mangkon-Tha Phra section is part of the Blue Line extension that runs from Hua Lamphong to Lak Song. The MRT expects 20,000 passengers per day or 1.2 million passengers during the 2-month trial run period. To accommodate this increase in traffic, dtac has proceeded with a rollout of signal boosters and trials of both voice and data services. dtac will also bolster its coverage on the second phase of the Blue Line extension in time for its opening. Mr. Prathet Tankuranun, Chief Technology Officer, Total Access Communication PLC or dtac, said, “dtac has already expanded 4G coverage at the four new underground stations – Wat Mangkon, Sam Yot, Sanam Chai and Itsaraphap – to provide high-speed mobile connectivity…

Today (July 24, 2019), Total Access Communication PLC or dtac has submitted a clarification to The Stock Exchange of Thailand to decline the issue concerning the purchase of the shares in Jasmine International PLC or JAS, the Wireline telecommunication company (Home internet). dtac has to decline this issue for the clarification. Our company is committed to continually improving its mobile services: 4G, 3G, 2G and various digital communication technologies, connecting its customers to what matters most, and empowering society.

June 19, 2019 – dtac is preparing for the future by acquiring 700 MHz spectrum, which will further enhance its spectrum portfolio and improve network coverage nationwide. The new spectrum will also be used for future 5G development and make dtac the operator with the widest downlink bandwidth of 80 MHz, out of the total 130 MHz in its current portfolio (including 2300 MHz in partnership with TOT). Mrs. Alexandra Reich, Chief Executive Officer, Total Access Communication PLC  dtac, said, “dtac will never stop improving. By acquiring 2x10 MHz of the low-band 700 MHz spectrum, we will continue to expand network coverage and increase network capacity. The network coverage already covers 94% of total population of Thailand. And the 700 MHz spectrum will further improve dtac’s network position nationwide.” Frequency Bandwidth Band 700 MHz 20 MHz (2x10MHz) Low band 900 MHz 10 MHz (2x5MHz) Low band 1800 MHz 10 MHz (2x5MHz) High band 2100 MHz 30 MHz (2x15MHz) High band 2300 MHz 60 MHz (1x60MHz, roaming on TOT’s spectrum) High band Total 130 MHz The spectrum license cost 17.584 billion baht and is valid for 15 years starting from October 2020 or until determined otherwise by the NBTC. It does…

May 31, 2019 – Today (May 31, 2019), the Central Administrative Court (lower court) issued a verdict dismissing TOT’s claim on access charges against dtac in its entirety. This access charges claim was filed by TOT Plc in 2011 claiming that dtac has an obligation to pay to TOT an access charge for the connection of dtac’s subscribers with TOT’s network from 18 November 2006-10 July 2014 in the amount of THB 245,638 million, including interest fee and VAT. The dismissal order is not yet final as TOT still has the right to appeal against such court dismissal within the timeframe as provided by law.

May 10, 2019 – dtac has submitted an expression of interest to the NBTC to exercise its right to a 900 MHz license payment extension as per the relief measure enacted under Section 44 that allows operators more time to pay for their 900-MHz licenses. Regarding the upcoming 700-MHz license allocation, dtac recommends the spectrum allocation should be delayed until NBTC can publish a clear spectrum roadmap, before discussing any further auctions. However, dtac will study the terms and conditions from the information memorandum (IM) expected to be announced by the NBTC in May. Mr. Rajiv Bawa, Chief Corporate Affairs & Business Development Officer, Total Access Communication PLC. or dtac, said, “We think that new spectrum allocation should be delayed until NBTC can publish a clear spectrum roadmap, including time for allocation and fair valuation of available spectrum, before discussing any further auctions.”