State Telco firm 'needs new execs to survive'
Komsan Tortermvasana
Wichit Chantanusornsiri
Informations and Communications Technology Minister Sittichai Pookaiyaudom said the trouble-plagued TOT Plc was on the verge of collapse and needed to find a worthy board of directors and president if it was to survive.
The minister blamed internal conflicts by parties who exploited the state agency for their own benefits for the severe problems facing the organisation.
Mr. Sitthichai's statement came as conflicts at TOT made headlines this week with the agency's union calling on the board to resign.
The minister said TOT's revenue was plunging but its expenses remained unchanged. If the revenue-sharing it is receiving from concessionaires is excluded, TOT would already be in the red, he said.
According to the minister, TOT has to pay out 20 billion baht annually for staff salaries but is losing around 20 billion baht due to withheld access charges from mobile phone operators.
The mobile operators DTAC and True since last November, arguing that TOT should adopt the interconnection fee system approved by the National Telecommunications Commission. TOT charges access fees to telecom concessionaires of CAT Telecom Plc for accessing its network.
An arbitration committee has also ordered TOT to pay an access charge share of nine billion baht to True Corp, its fixed-line concessionaire. TOT has appealed against the ruling but if it loses, it may have to pay a total of 14 billion baht including interest.
TOT used to be an important business unit of the Finance Ministry, but that has all changed with the dwindling number of fixed-line clients and TOT's inability to compete with private operators for broadband internet services.
Mr. Sitthichai described TOT as being "cursed", saying the organisation has been exploited by vested interests represented by certain TOT board members for a long time, which had caused untold internal rifts.
Mr. Sitthichai received a request this week from Nukol Bavornsirinukoon, deputy president of the TOT union, who demanded a reshuffle of the board.
The union representative also demanded Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr resign as TOT chairman.
However, the minister said he did cause the board would complete its term in four month's time.
Deputy Finance Minister Sommai Phasi said Mr. Sitthichai phoned him and discussed the problems at TOT and the necessity to find quick solutions.
As the Finance Ministry is the major shareholder of TOT, Mr. Sommai said he would discuss possible solutions to the persistent problems next week.
The TOT board met for eight hours yesterday to discuss the alleged problems. The board confirmed its resolution on Aug 17 to dismiss TOT president Somkhuan Boonminhent for cutting a fine on Alcatel-Lucent Co from 177 million baht to 52 million baht for its delayed completion of TOT's transmission network expansion project, or T-NEP, worth 1.78 billion baht.
The TOT board sidelined Mr. Somkhuan in May to oversee academic affairs for allegations of corruption in TOT's failing cellular venture Thai Mobile.
Mr. Somkhuan later sought protection from the Administrative Court. However, the TOT board has insisted on his dismissal, saying the decision was based on the T-NEP issue, not on Thai Mobile.
Gen Saprang insisted yesterday that he would not bow to calls for his resignation as TOT chairman. Only the prime minister and the chairman of the Council for National Security were in a position.
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