State-owned National Telecom (NT) is set to launch a "single last-mile service" this year that allows telecom and broadcast operators to rent its fibre-optic network to access their household customers.
A pilot project has been launched along several routes, including Nak Niwat Road and Khaosan Road in Bangkok, along with some parts of Pattaya beach.
Morakot Thienmontree, senior executive vice-president at NT, said the move aligns with the company's efforts to become a neutral last-mile operator. The service is expected to generate a sustainable revenue stream for the company, he said.
NT is set to start last-mile service on Yaowarat Road in June and finish related system development there by year-end.
Mr Morakot said the pilot project on Nak Niwat Road received a very good response as 70% of the total capacity of NT's last-mile infrastructure had been rented by private operators. The rental fee is between 90 and 120 baht per month per household accessed.
Under the concept of a neutral last mile, all related parties have to jointly appoint one firm to become the single last-mile provider solely responsible for accommodating fibre connections to households. Then telecom operators pay a rental fee to the single last-mile provider to use such infrastructure.
The neutral last-mile operator has to operate under a service level agreement that ensures the quality standard of operations and maintenance.
In areas where telecom operators or broadcasters have already installed their own fibre-optic networks for homes, NT might consider purchasing these networks, operating and providing maintenance to the networks, he said. The telecom operators or broadcasters would pay a rental fee to NT for such networks.
NT also owns conduits along 4,360 kilometres of roads nationwide, of which around 3,500km are in Bangkok. Mr Morakot said NT is in talks with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and Provincial Electricity Authority about placing their overhead power cables into NT's underground conduits.
