VoIP in Thailand and SEA Dr. Donyaprueth Krairit Assistant Professor School of Management Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Pathumthani, THAILAND

Agenda b VoIP Potentials b Why is VoIP an important issue ? b Thailand VoIP Situation & Environment Regulatory & PoliciesRegulatory & Policies BusinessBusiness QoS issueQoS issue Future directionsFuture directions b Other SEA Countries

VoIP Potentials b Savings on long-distance calls b Bypass monopoly providers of telecom services b Lack of regulatory hurdles b Internet is the IP-based networks. b Technically, low entry barriers. b Help in the concept of “universal service”??

Why is VoIP an important issue? b Technically, a voice transmission in data packets. b What regulations/policies to use to govern this new form of transmission? Regulate as voice communicationRegulate as voice communication Regulate as data communicationRegulate as data communication b What is voice communication, anyway? b Is voice communication a “basic” service?

Telecom Providers in Thailand b TOT Corporation (formerly, the Telephone Organization of Thailand) Domestic voice communicationsDomestic voice communications b CAT Corporation (formerly, the Communication Authority of Thailand) International voice communicationsInternational voice communications Data communicationsData communications

Regulatory Framework b TOT and CAT are both operators and regulators. b They give concessions based on the BTO scheme to winning bidders on selected services. b The concessions could be of the same kind due to overlapping roles and authority.

Competition: Domestic Calls b Domestic long-distance calls Cellular BTO providers receiving the concessions from both TOT and CAT offer competitive rates.Cellular BTO providers receiving the concessions from both TOT and CAT offer competitive rates. Only VoIP service will enable TOT to compete with the concessionaires.Only VoIP service will enable TOT to compete with the concessionaires. Y-TEL1234 is already in service and doing well.Y-TEL1234 is already in service and doing well.

Competition: International Calls b Completely monopolized by CAT with no competition from BTO operators. b However, CAT is still suffered from international call back services, , and other Internet-based services. b CAT therefore decided to go with VoIP for international long-distance services. The service is called “e-Phone,” flat-rate priced at about 50% lower than traditional calls.

Competition: Internet Service b Under the monopoly domain of the CAT. b 18 ISP concessionaires b Different from other BTO concessions because they are based on a profit-sharing scheme, and not revenue-sharing scheme. b Result: Highest Internet service in the SEA region.

Specific Policies on VoIP b VoIP is prohibited. b All Internet traffic have to go through CAT international gateways. b Violators are threatened to have their concessions withdrawn.

QoS of VoIP in Thailand b No QoS enforced both in terms of latency and accessibility. b TOT VoIP domestic service claims to have delay comparable to that of mobile phones. b CAT VoIP international service still faces problems about accessibility and latency.

Future Directions (Thailand) b The establishment of the National Telecommunications Committee (NTC) as an independent regulatory body. b The Telecommunications Act is in the approval process from the Parliament. b Long-term policy goal is set for liberalization.

Future of Internet in Thailand b EdNet Inter/Intranet link for 10,000 schoolsInter/Intranet link for 10,000 schools b MOI network expansion E-Citizen projectE-Citizen project b TOT VoIP Phase 3

VoIP in Other SEA Countries b Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore: VoIP licenses b Cambodia and Laos: Available but illegalAvailable but illegal Cambodian military police have detained 20 foreigners on an alleged IDD bypass scam using an unlicensed IDD gateway.Cambodian military police have detained 20 foreigners on an alleged IDD bypass scam using an unlicensed IDD gateway.

b Vietnam: The Posts and Telematics Ministry has suspended the sales of FPT Telecom’s Internet phone card service.The Posts and Telematics Ministry has suspended the sales of FPT Telecom’s Internet phone card service. Allow only outbound Internet-based calls from computers to computers and from computers to telephones while prohibiting inbound Internet phone calls.Allow only outbound Internet-based calls from computers to computers and from computers to telephones while prohibiting inbound Internet phone calls. VoIP in Other SEA Countries

QoS of VoIP in SEA b Only Singapore has clear QoS results on System AccessibilitySystem Accessibility Service ActivationService Activation Number of complaintsNumber of complaints b Philippines ask for QoS but does not enforce. b Thailand has informal user surveys.

Future of VoIP in SEA b Move toward enterprise VoIP and Private leased-line infrastructure b IP telephony gateway over conventional PABX b Consolidation?!?