Thai schools to get free wireless Internet

Some 45,000 schools across the country will be hooked up to high-speed wireless Internet connections for free once the long-awaited 3G cellular service is up and running.

That is a requirement for winners of third-generation mobile licences using the 2.1-gigahertz spectrum, the National Telecommunications Com-mission (NTC) said.

Successful bidders and licensees would have to provide a connection speed of 2 megabits per second to all these schools at no charge for five years.

The NTC will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Education Ministry to promote the project jointly. The ministry will develop content for the schools in the project and group them into three clusters, starting with those the most technically ready, already equipped with computers and technical staff.

The other two clusters are those with available facilities but some technical limitations and those in remote areas inaccessible by Internet infrastructure, with no computers and no technical staff.

This will help eventual 3G licence holders to provide the schools with what they need.

The school project is part of the NTC's draft regulations on universal service obligations (USO) specifically for 3G licensees.

NTC member Suranan Wongvitha-yakamjorn said the NTC would consider the draft rules soon.

As part of the draft, the three licence winners will each provide broadband Internet access to 15,000 schools nationwide within five years and not charge them for 60 months.

The NTC will auction three licences to use the 2.1GHz spectrum to provide 3G wireless broadband service next month. Advanced Info Service (AIS), Total Access Communication (DTAC) and TrueMove are all expected to take part in the bidding.

The NTC's existing USO regulations require all major licensees to develop telecom services in remote areas. If they do not want to do that by themselves, they can pay 4 per cent of their revenue to the USO Fund for the NTC to hire others to do the job.

Suranan thinks the 3G providers will not likely find it difficult to follow the requirement, since they will have to roll out their 3G networks nationwide anyway.

The 3G licensing regulations require licence holders to start offering the service within one year from the date of obtaining their licence, and provide services in all provinces covering at least 50 per cent of the population within two years and at least 80 per cent within four years.

The NTC wants to see telecom operators maximising the use of their frequencies, which are the country's valuable natural resource, to serve society and bridge the digital divide.

The NTC is making several attempts to promote equal access to affordable wireless broadband. It has drafted a plan to grant province-level licences to use the 2.5GHz spectrum to offer wireless broadband service in remote areas. It might require licence winners initially to promote the service for Bt99 a month at a connection speed of 1 megabit per second.