According to national media sources, the three companies are planning to roll out 400 base stations, mainly in Bangkok, with further deployment in other major provinces in the country.
LTE will run on TOT’s 2.3GHz spectrum. The two other companies were not named, but it is thought they will install last mile equipment, in addition to backbone services to aid the LTE roll-out. The companies will also rent capacity on TOT’s network.
TOT will manage and receive rental fees, and the company is presently in the process of applying to Thai regulator National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to use part of its frequency to conduct the initial trial.
The proposed LTE investment plan will be submitted to the TOT board on September 17 2012, along with plans for a second phase of its 3G investment plan, in addition to a planned roll-out of 200,000 Wifi hotspots.
