TOT and CAT Telecom will act as centres to bury all telecom networks nationwide, starting with Greater Bangkok.
Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, said yesterday that TOT and CAT agreed at a meeting with the NBTC on Monday to coordinate with all telecom operators to move their networks to their existing and planned subterranean viaducts. Broadband policy
The National Broadband Committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula had recently assigned the NBTC to clear all obstacles to the plan, as part of the national broadband policy.
The telecom operators will have to lease a viaduct at rates that the state telecom enterprises will propose to the NBTC soon.
The state telecoms would also have to discuss a plan for installing viaducts to prevent redundancies on the same routes.
TOT has 20,000 kilometres of underground telecom cabling nationwide, of which 12,000km are in Greater Bangkok. CAT has only 300km, mostly in the metropolitan area.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority also has a project to conceal all utility lines but needs a resolution from telecom operators on the details.