True facing 3G number shortage

Thailand’s True Corp is facing a shortage of new telephone numbers which could form a new obstacle in its plan to migrate its mobile users from the True Move network to its Real Move subsidiary, which offers the ‘True Move H’ 3G service over an 850MHz network in partnership with state-run CAT Telecom. 2G and 3G services on the original True Move network attract 30% revenue sharing costs under True’s build-transfer-operate (BTO) concession with CAT, while True Move H services are delivered via a series of contracts between True and CAT, under which True’s BFKT unit builds HSPA-based infrastructure and leases it to CAT, and in turn Real Move acts as a virtual operator by reselling the capacity offered by CAT under the True Move H brand. While the True Move H service allows True to operate outside of the BTO framework – giving it a headstart on rivals AIS and DTAC ahead of full 3G licence auctions later this year – it has additional motivation to migrate users from the older True Move GSM/W-CDMA network because its BTO concession runs out in September 2013

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OVETEL True facing 3G number shortage