April 9, 2021 – dtac has accelerated its network rollout ahead of the 2021 Songkran holidays, ensuring reliable and secure connectivity to support mobility and social distancing. Most of the cell sites dtac added in Q1’21 operate on 700 MHz, a low-spectrum band offering strong indoor and outdoor coverage. By focusing on key areas upcountry and along major thoroughfares, dtac is therefore confident it can provide a superlative experience on mobile voice and data services for those returning home during the holidays. In addition, dtac will reinforce its network teams, who will operate 24/7 to ensure uninterrupted connectivity nationwide.
Mr. Prathet Tankuranun, Chief Technology Officer, Total Access Communication PLC or dtac, explained, “Connectivity plays a critical role in this challenging time and we expect Songkran will trigger a surge in interprovincial travel from April 10 to 15. dtac has bolstered its network with high-coverage sites on 700 MHz, mobile network vehicles and updated network parameters for the holiday traffic. I’m therefore very confident that dtac will deliver high-speed internet for all during this special week. We are also keeping a close eye on the COVID-19 situation and boosting the network in critical zones to support health officials.”
dtac’s network engineers will operate 24/7 with a focus on three types of hotspots:
- Main thoroughfares – dtac is bolstering its network at transportation hubs and main roads such as the Bangkok-Chonburi Motorway, Mittraphap Highway, and the key regional highways to the North, Northeast, and the South. In this case, dtac’s massive MIMO technology can use beamforming to deliver high-speed internet to fast-moving devices, making it particularly well suited to busy roads.
- Provincial center areas – Despite the government ban on water splashing, cultural activities may still increase data usage at sites for merit-making and Buddha water pouring ceremonies. In preparation, dtac has switched on 5G sites at major regional hubs.
- Key locales upcountry – dtac has expanded its coverage on 700 MHz to deliver high-speed internet upcountry and at top regional destinations. dtac will also be deploying mobile network vehicles and tuning network parameters to suit the added usage.
Moreover, dtac is strengthening its resilience to COVID-19 to ensure uninterrupted services. dtac’s engineers are divided into two groups to provide a fallback. If team A is found to have a COVID-19 infection, it will go into self-quarantine while team B takes over network operations. An alternative site has also been found for the Network Operation Centre were the dtac headquarters to be compromised.
In addition to its high level of preparedness and new base stations, dtac can count on its full range of low-band, mid-band and high-band spectrum to deliver the best possible connectivity experience for customers during the Thai New Year holidays.
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