CAT slashes Internet and video conference fees

PHUKET: The Phuket Telecommunications Center (PTC), a division of the Communication Authority of Thailand (CAT), has announced a 50% reduction in the fees charged for two of the services it provides. Internet connection fees have been cut from one baht a minute to 50 satang (the three baht fee for the first minute will remain unchanged). With a CATNET card, the Internet equivalent of a telephone card, customers may connect to the Internet at the PTC on Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town, between 7 am and midnight everyday, and at post offices in Phuket Town, Patong and Karon between 8 am and 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday (and between 9 am and noon on Saturdays). Meanwhile, the rental rate for the video conference service provided at the PTC’s office has been reduced from 3,000 baht per hour to 1,500 baht until January 31. This fee covers the cost of renting the conference room, monitor and camera, but does not include the fees for the ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network) connection, which vary depending upon the destination of the conference call. Voravit Vorapiboonpong, chief of the Phuket Telecommunication Center, told the Gazette that the fee had been halved because the video conference service has had only one customer since it opened in October. Khun Voravit remains optimistic, however, that the service will eventually catch on. For additional information about video conferencing, call 216861, ext 4130.