Thai Mobile-Phone Operators Await Public Response to New Technology.

Byline: Kanchana Pleumjit

Oct. 1--Even though mobile-phone operators are rushing to be first to introduce technology known as GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) in an attempt to lead the market, the industry at large is unsure whether the customer response will match expectations.

GPRS enables high-speed (115 kilobits per second) wireless Internet and other data communications. It offers a tenfold increase in data throughput rates, from 9.6kbit/s to 115kbit/s. By using a packet data service, subscribers are always connected and always online so services are easy and quick to access.

GPRS will be introduced by adding new packet data nodes and upgrading existing nodes to provide a routing path for the information between the mobile terminal and the gateway.

Total Access Communication, operator of the DTAC service, says it has installed GPRS technology nationwide and is ready to start the service soon.

DTAC has invested US$15 million on GPRS while its rival, Advanced Info Service (AIS), has spent $10 million.

Vichien Mektrakarn, vice-president of AIS, said the obstacle to the success of GPRS was the limited variety of handsets available locally rather than the technology itself. Moreover, insufficient content was available, compounded by language problems because most functions and content are displayed in English, not Thai.