Thai telecom firms face number portability fines

BANGKOK, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Thailand's five mobile phone operators could face a fine of up to 30 million baht ($963,400) each for failing to meet a Sept. 1 deadline to launch number portability, an industry regulator said on Monday.

Number portability, allowing mobile users to shift from one operator to another, will be a big step in the liberalisation of Thailand's $4.7 billion telecommunications sector and is expected to ignite fierce competition.

The calculation, which represents a fine of 166,667 baht ($5,350) a day, was based on the number of mobile users who requested to shift network operators, Prasert Apipunya, deputy secretary general of the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC), told reporters.

Operators can submit an appeal or go to court if they do not agree with the fine, he said.

In August, the NTC said operators who failed to introduce number portability on time would face a fine of 20,000 baht ($635.7) a day.

The five were mobile market leader Advanced Info Service Pcl ADVA.BK, second-ranked Total Access Communication Pcl DTAC.BK (TACC.SI), number three True Move, a unit of True Corp Pcl TRUE.BK, plus state-owned TOT Pcl and CAT Telecom Pcl.

Mobile firms plan to launch number portability in December after seeking to delay the introduction to early 2011 because of the impact of a volcano eruption in Iceland, which disrupted the arrival of equipment, plus domestic political unrest and technical problems.

On Monday, AIS shares were up 2.7 percent at 95.50 baht, while the broader market was 0.17 percent higher. TAC rose 1.1 percent, while True Corp, which hit a three-week low of 5.50 baht last week, jumped more than 11 percent to 7.60 baht.

The strong gains were attributed to expectations the sector would benefit from an upcoming auction for third-generation mobile licences to be held on Sept. 20-28. ($1=31.46 Baht) (Reporting by Khettiya Jittapong; Editing by Jason Szep)