• panya
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Meandering pathways
Wednesday , July 1 , 2009
3G SYSTEM DELAYED AGAIN - WHY?
Posted by panya , Reader : 1596 , 09:41:55  
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What's going on?


I read that the issuing of 3G licences have been postponed, yet again, until early next year, making Thailand the last country in SE Asia to operate this globally popular telecommunications system.  This means the system will become effective late 2010, unless there is further delay in which case it will be 2011.


My local tech adviser tells me that the 3G technology was available (and under consideration) when Thaksin still owned AIS which would have been the obvious company to adopt the new technology being the market leader (by far) back then.  But as PM, he put the brakes on the government's acceptance of 3G as he didn't want AIS to invest the required billions just before he sold it to Temasek, as the balance sheet would not have looked so pretty, (for sure!).  But that was YEARS ago, and the licences have STILL not been issued.


The questionable True Corp have been selling the iPhone 3G since its launch over a year ago, with a limited 3G trial area in central Bangkok, though the last I read was that the frequency they wanted to use had already been allocated to (and used by?) DTAC.  Truly questionable.


I am told that Hutch/CAT operate a CDMA service which I am also told is a 3G system, but Hutch hardly exist outside Bangkok and CAT's service isn't available inside Bangkok.  Seems strange.


Other reports suggest that upgrading to 3G technology is quick when there is a network of transmitter/receivers already in place.  In the US, it seems AT&T/Sprint etc  can upgrade their network systems in a matter of months.


(I am not a phone person, remembering the days when trunk calls needed booking.....)


So what exactly is the problem here in Thailand?  The technological expertise is certainly no barrier and the phone companies all seem to have pots of cash (when they want it) and the physical networks.  


I haven't dared ring the Ministry of Communications as I figure they're busy blocking websites (having examined them in detail first).  Nor did I dare ask Surapong Suebwonglee, who I believe is an ICT expert from that time.


Why are the licences being delayed?


Why is it so difficult to award licences when there are only a mere handful of suitable candidates?


Why are the Thai public being deprived and duped without recourse?


Why is Thailand the last SE Asian country to embrace 3G?


Why did a government minister seriously suggest that Thailand could be a telecommunications hub?



Please will somebody explain this to me.  (You see, it all comes back to education.....)

Read comment

comment 9
kibangkok date : 07/07/2009 time : 14.48
http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/kibangkok
Water color diary and easy story about my painting....www.oknation.net/blog/thaithai

it is very funny that Thai goverment always annouce the ambition against other contries. How many hub that Thailand want to be? How many hub that Thailand already cheived it????????
comment 8
wch date : 04/07/2009 time : 10.43

3G is the imperative stage to enter into 4G.
The infrastructure can be cheaply converted, also,
commercial value is there as long as the equipment cost is down dramatically.

1. University, General Hospital, large state organization and more importantly industrialized community within 12 km radius can enjoy dramatic cost saving as well as rich data transmission.
Imagine 10 giga technical documents of a crude oil refinery system can be transmitted within an hour to other place.
Imagine same-time, surgery such as transplanting liver between the remote two posts such as the New York Medical Center to Bumroong Rat hospital.

A student can log on his notebook in lecture room to university main server, further to John Hopkins library.

Subway commuter can log on underground,
Highspeed bullet trains, the passenger can blog on Nation blogsite for 3 hours, then arrived in Chiangmai already,,,,

4G era offers better,
You can log on www.rt.tv and anytime anywhere download any program and save your mobile and can enjoy it in gap time.
2 hours movie can down-load within 2 minutes.

1,000,000 people signing campaign can complete within a couple of hours. Smart card (personal ID data) loaded mobile handset can send the vote to main computer of campaign managers, by several clicks.
This system already is in service in some countries.
comment 7
maverick263 date : 03/07/2009 time : 23.37

:-)

"But I still wonder why other SE Asian countries are investing in 3G networks; vested interests, no doubt."

mai chai. even in th...; i can remember some ais pr-blurb some time ago identifying target-group as "visitors". & how "convenient" it'd be to "serve" our "guests" w pre-paid packages. & i agree.

for sure there'll be a market for 3g. but it needs development, right? it needs "attractive services", "killer-apps" ;-)

let's just speak of providing localized multimedia content. it wd make sense for tat. & tat is _A BIG PLAYER_ in many areas of development.

sure it'd help thai software-dev.
comment 6
panya date : 03/07/2009 time : 17.07
http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/diversion

WCH and MAVERICK263

Hey guys! Fantastic!

I had rather given up hope that anybody could answer my questions, or that I would ever have any working knowledge of this 3G technology. And it's really not something one can hope to get answered in a shop....

Your two responses have given readers a CONCISE SUMMARY OF 3G IN THAILAND, both from the availability and technolgical angles, with a bit of interesting political history as well.

I very much appreciate you taking the trouble of responding with such detail. Haven't we come a long way from trunk calls and Ma Bell!

But I still wonder why other SE Asian countries are investing in 3G networks; vested interests, no doubt.

Thanks again
comment 5
wch date : 03/07/2009 time : 16.34

Dear author, (I wrote once about same issue in the past in a blog, touching some change, here paste again) :

The secret negotiation on Thaksin's disposal of AIS was leaked in the last quarter in 2005.
Since then until now, the debate goes on through local media.
I wrote from time to time on this issue in Nation forum why Thaksin had to sell his whole business.

Thaksin knew that if he hold the business furtherly, it will be big political burden because the general public
will press him to invest on 3G. At that time, 3G investment cost was about 4 billion dollars. However he saw
the market is too small to recover the investment capital. 3G business could demolish his political foundation quickly. He secretly made contact with Temasek.
Temasek is naive investor. By prospectus of Thaksin's being a prominent politician in Thailand, they sealed contract quickly in expectation of political gain in many coming projects. It was during the last quater of 2005. Temasek is now in disastours situation by failing on many big M & A projects in India, China, Korea and Japan. CEO was dismissed.

3 G and 4 G information super highway era.
I studied and surveyed local situation while I stayed in a village in Isan, where no telephone wire was available and so I used international call to my home country and logged on. After GPRS internet connection of Thaksin's AIS was available, I tried to use it.

This GPRS is another. They started internet service at 3 baht per minute (Can you imagine ?), then 1 baht,
now say, 3 hours at 30 baht plus calling charge tax excluded that makes 3 hours at 40-50 baht. This is the charge of ordinary internet shop. However in terms of downloaded digital quantity, GPRS is one 10th, say, for 3 hours 100mbytes via AIS GPRS vs 1000 mbytes via Asianet connected internet shop.
Therefore AIS GPRS service is costly as so much.

Then only me in Thailand who try to connect internet in rural region ?. In terms of population, only 5 million out of 65 m is internetted according to a report.

1. Why is mobile telephone operator unpassionate to operate 3 G ?.
Answer : possible population is too small to meet the balance. Three and 4 companies must share on possible users that is expected around 1 million people.

2. Let me explain some technical knowledge as a 'very common consumer' (If engineer explains to you, you wont be able to understand their 'cosmic language' 555).
FM radio use the wave band from 85 - 120 mega hertz
TV channels 175 mh - 450 mh (USA, Thailand or anywhere is same, say Ch. 3 is around 175-180mh)
Mobile telephone
European system called GSM and GPRS multimedia around 750-900 mh range. now Thai AIS, DTAC.
- signal is gone in order of letter script, audio signal, vedio signal one by one. Total band width is 5 mh
say letter signal 751, audio signal stereo 752 and 3, video signal 754 and 5, colour mixing signal 756mh
American system called CDMA (code division multiple amplification) - USA, Japan, Korea and China
- use same hertz but all signals of 4-6 goes at same time. If send all signals in same size, they are mixed. so
each signal is 'amplified' into different height so that they do not mix together. So the transmission needs codifying machine and decodifying machine. Also middle transmission antenas or switch machine is more complicated and expensive. However the signal outcome - voice, screen are crystal clear than GPRS technology.

3. Then, What is 3 G or Third Generation ?.
When mobile phone used 450mh band, this was called 1 generation (later called like that when 2G, 3G appeared).
750mh generation is called 2G or 2.5G (if it can transmit short letter script message and photo, video clip).
Now this, 1800 mh- 2200 mh (or 1.8-2.2 giga hertz band) is called 3G. As you may know, more frequency means more fast with more quantity of trasmitting digital bytes. Also it needs more 'band width' for one customer. it is about 50mh. say if you subscribe you will use the band zone 1800-1850 mh. Then question is only you ?. no many other subscriber use this, same band together at same time because the digital signal is gone in mode of 'batch'. Your batch is gone first followed by my batch 555. Both does not mix. Dont worry.

In European system, If use this high frequency zone of 2.2 gh, all signals of letter, audio, video, colour mix, looks gone at same time because speed is so fast. American system CDMA is same but instead much more speedy than European system. European system sometime collapse in the main transmission trunk under water optical system
(as reported in last the accident between Australia and Singapore).
So far, CDMA used satellite transmission but they now lay huge capacity of under water optical line from America to China, then down to Singapore where regional countries will connect by own cost. This capacity is 1 billion people loging on at same time is 'no problem'.

So called, commercial names wifi,wipro, wimax are all in this zone of band, 1.8 - 2.2 giga hertz.
Technical problems of this products is, as you imagine, the ultra short wave has penetration problem.
It can carries more signal in shorter time but the power of 'flying' is weak, at best 1 - 10km. This means more transmission cellular antenaes are needed and so more investment cost.
Wire connection also need investment that deal more compatible trasmission machinery and equipment.
750mh equipments can not handle the ultra frequency of 1.8 giga h or more.

4. What is 4G ?
Another CDMA 's good point is 4G system that used the band of 3.0-4.0 giga hertz. Genuine internet TV is possible.
Starting area is undoubtedly US-Japan-Korea (south), first, then China. This integral system of machinery, equipment, devices, semiconductors, and infrastructure are in full speed of development. large screen, blue ray video player, US movie makers, TV operators, big news agencies, state, research center, hospitals or others move together to accommodate soon "4 Giga system". Then what about mobile set ?. all devices were developed to receive ultra speed signal. Virtually handset computer cum all-purpose is coming out there but only where full style of infrastructure is ready.
Thailand ?
No idea, how to accommodate such ultra modern high tech,,,,
However Thailand must do it and so business opportunity is huge.

wch
comment 4
maverick263 date : 03/07/2009 time : 14.45

hee hee... "(I am not a phone person, remembering the days when trunk calls needed booking.....)"... yes, those were the days ;-)

some days ago i dropped by at my favorite shopping mall in beautiful up-north chiang mai. & there i saw 2 pg's ("pretty girls") with some attractive hardware & i read _3G_.

i've been looking forward to it na! so i was excited --- just to find out, later on, that i live outside of chiang mai cover zone :-(

nonetheless. if u wanna have a closer look, here's link

http://www.ais.co.th/3g/EN/

also, there had been some discussion on thai-visa & maybe you'd be interested to read this comment by MJo ab a month ago:

"It's only a small trial network they have. Odd site here and there in BKK and something like 30+ in Chiang Mai. And as Monty said it's build over 900MHz which you do not have that many phones working on it. Also it is sharing with existing 2G over 900MHz so their capasity is limited. Voice calls go via 2G no probs and for data you would need city wide coverage with HSPA for it to be usefull. So all just marketing hype and being first one to offer services that work in theory in and around of few telewiz shops.

Licences for usual 2100MHz frequencies are not out yet and frankly no one knows if they ever will be released. It's been "in couple of months" for about 6 or more years now... Actually they just should skip building the 3G infra all together and go direct for LTE (meaning Long Term Evolution or 4th generation or 4G). LTE is being deployed now in first bigger scale trial networks in Europe and Japan will follow closely. This will be the technology in couple of years for data transfer."

*

finally, i agree with wch. i'd guess they do well with existing tech. honestly i'd wonder _who_ wd subscribe to g3? sms/texting had been a "killer app" (though no-one ever imagined that) as it's cheap & thus suits teenage-market. they won't switch to g3.

a g3-customer must have money. ais offers a g3-usb-stick/modem for 4,000bht, plus 6 months promotion of 500mb/100bht/month data volume. as it's broadband i understand they switch from time to data-consumption. but even if you _don't_ use the "features" of 3g... which invite & encourage data-massive-apps... like video- or other downloads --- 500mb traffic a month is _nothing_. each additional mb will be charged 1bht. that sounds little but it'll add up very fast.

anyhow... yes i'd hv liked to sign up
comment 3
panya date : 01/07/2009 time : 17.14
http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/diversion

Xena, I can well believe that the tender prices are unrealistic, but there must be more to the non-appearance of a better system than that. The technology is not that short-lived, I mean they could have had four years so far, and any newer technology is going to require a considerably higher investment to upgrade, if upgrading rather than replacement is an option.

wch, i think that is a valid point too, the expected number of users maybe does not warrant the silly money the government (in their caring way) demand. And of course while GPRS is pretending to work well, peking duck is an extravagance, I agree.

But I would have thought that a 3G network in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and (ugh) Pattaya would have made sense and provided a return. 3G is unquestionably a better system and a great aide for business and mobile education/awareness, so at the very least I would expect something in Bangkok, a city which appears to deserve 2 million dollars worth of buses (with GPS tracking??? Ha!). Still, maybe someone can be proud that their bus system is technologically more advanced than their population's communication system
comment 2
wch date : 01/07/2009 time : 15.28

How many of real internet users are ? and
how many of 3G users are expected ?.
I think this is the real point here.

Also present GPRS - dinosaurus internet connection is 'gold laying hen', why do they have to cull for peking duck ? 555

Thank you anyway, for reminding me of this, I long forgot this since October 2005. This is meaningfull time for Thailand ' mobile hub'.
comment 1
xena date : 01/07/2009 time : 11.42
http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/xena

Very simple the anticipated big money for the official has been evaporating fast since the first exictment over the tender price for 3G license.
Some of the provider cannot justify the price for the tender as technology is so short-shelf life that other newer technology may appear before they can recoup the investment.
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