TOT Phuket gets B128m budget bonanza

PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) has been granted a budget of 128.68 million baht to upgrade its services on the island. The announcement follows the return of TOT Phuket chief Pairoj Somsri from budget meetings in Bangkok late last month, at which he expected to be granted a budget of only 38.8 million baht, after applying for 100 million baht. The budget will be used to install 19 new telephone exchanges, adding a total of 8,100 telephone numbers on the island this year. “We plan to add another 11,430 telephone numbers next year, bringing the total new land line numbers in Phuket to 19,530,” K. Pairoj told the Gazette. He added that the TOT Phuket branch will also expand its ADSL high-speed Internet access from the current coverage of 20% of the island to more than 80%. “We are preparing to install 5,000 ADSL exchanges in Phuket in July,” he said. Looking further ahead, K. Pairoj said that TOT Phuket is waiting for approval to install wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) high-speed Internet access throughout Phuket City, with a service range extending at least five kilometers from the access points. “The TOT is waiting for approval from the Post and Telegraph Department to install WiMax [wireless protocol] broadband Internet access in Phuket City that will be capable of providing Internet access to users at least five kilometers from where the WiMax node is installed,” he said. He added that the TOT is currently waiting for approval to make Phuket City “go hot”, as launching Wi-Fi service is referred to in IT circles. In the meantime, K. Pairoj said that TOT Phuket will launch Wi-Fi access at the Caltex gas station in Kathu, and plans to make another location “hot” soon, though a site has yet to be decided upon.