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Regulator reportedly says Thai operators must offer 10% rate discount to disabled, low-income consumers.
Thailand has ordered mobile operators AIS and True to launch affordable 4G tariffs for disabled and low-income consumers.
According to a Bangkok Post report on Tuesday, the requirement is a condition of the 900-MHz and 1800-MHz spectrum licences the two telcos acquired at last year’s 4G auction.
"The low-cost 4G SIM cards must provide tariff rates at least 10% cheaper than the existing maximum 4G mobile voice and data tariff rates capped by the telecom regulator," said Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), in the report.
The maximum regulated price for 4G services is 0.69 baht (€0.018) per minute for voice and THB0.26 per Mbps for data.
The Thai government is in the process of drawing up a register of disabled and low-income consumers, and has yet to finalise the definition of an eligible customer. Nonetheless, it expects to have completed the database by the end of the year.
AIS and True are required to launch the cut-price 4G tariffs by next March.
"All Thais must benefit from national resources like spectrum," said Tantasith, in the Bangkok Post report.
