AIS to roam on TOT’s 2100-MHz spectrum

Thai state-owned operator TOT has reportedly signed a six-month trial contract with AIS subsidiary Advanced Wireless Network (AWN) covering roaming on TOT’s 2100-MHz spectrum.

A TOT source told that AWN has agreed to pay a 325 million baht ($9.4 million) monthly roaming fee for use of 80% of TOT’s 2100-MHz spectrum allocation.

The six-month trial is being conducted with a view to potentially entering into a permanent arrangement. AWS is expected to pay a 3.9 billion baht annual roaming fee under such a deal.

TOT plans to allocate the remaining 20% of its 2100-MHz spectrum to other interested operators, according to the report. AIS already holds 15MHz of spectrum in the 2100-MHz band.

State-owned TOT has been steadily losing 3G subscribers to its 2100-MHz service, and is under pressure to find new revenue streams following Thailand’s transition from a concession model for spectrum allocations to a more conventional auction model.

In June, AWN also agreed to lease TOT’s 900-MHz network and towers for a combined 5.6 billion baht annually.

TOT also holds 60MHz of 2300-MHz spectrum, and plans to use this to offer a wireless broadband service in conjunction with a strategic partner. The partner is due to be selected shortly.