ADVANCED Info Service (AIS) is in talks with Jasmine International (JAS) for a possible deal to let AIS'2G mobile-phone subscribers roam on JAS' newly acquired 900MHz spectrum.
Besides talks with JAS, AIS is also negotiating with Total Access Communication (DTAC) on the plan to roam its 2G subscribers with DTAC's network, according to National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission member General Sukit Khamasundara.
AIS is striving to prevent service disruption to its 11 million 2G subscribers.
AIS' failure to win the 900MHz spectrum licence in the auction last month prompted the leading cellular operator to explore various means to prevent service disruption to its 11 million subscribers using 2G-900MHz service.
The 900MHz spectrum licence was earlier held by AIS before the NBTC reclaimed it for auction last month after AIS' concession under the TOT expired in September 2015.
JAS' subsidiary, Jasmine Mobile Broadband (JASMBB), and True Corp's subsidiary, True Move H Universal Communication (TUC), each won the 900MHz licence in the auction.
A telecom industry source said that JASMBB is likely to pay the first instalment of the 900MHz licence upfront to the NBTC after completing talks with AIS on a possible 900MHz roaming deal. If JASMBB pays such an instalment before the deal is concluded, AIS'2G subscribers will be affected.
Under the NBTC auction rules, it will award the 900MHz licences to any of the two bid winners once any of them pays the first instalment of the licence upfront. JASMBB and TUC have yet to pay the first instalment upfront. They can pay the first instalment within 90 days after the bid winners were announced on December 19, 2015.
Of the total 11 million users of AIS' 900MHz service, 1 million are on the AIS 900MHz network and 10 million are on the network of AIS subsidiary Advanced Wireless Network (AWN) but they have roamed with the AIS network. Once it failed to win the 900MHz licence, AIS rushed to offer subsidised handsets to these 2G subscribers to migrate them to AWN.
Meanwhile, the NBTC recently approved granting of the mobile virtual network operator licence to AIS.
NBTC deputy secretary-general Korkij Danchaivichit said the NBTC would soon advise TOT to ask for the NBTC permits to install, own, and utilise all the telecom towers built by AIS during its concession from TOT. Without the permits, the state agency will not have the right to use them.
TOT and AIS are negotiating to settle the dispute over ownership of 13,000 telecom towers from the concession contract. AIS will return all towers to TOT and lease all of them back to install its new 4G base stations.
Apart from AIS, JASMBB is also in talks with TOT on a plan to install the 4G-900MHz network on these towers.