Thai telco True Corp revealed on Friday it has removed or adjusted mobile towers in border zones under the directives of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to help combat call centre scammers operating on Thailand's borders.
The Thai government has been cracking down on call centre gangs that have been setting up fraud hubs just outside of Thailand’s borders, using illegal cross-border fibre cables, telecoms towers and even Starlink kits to extend their operations into Thailand.
Under the NBTC’s new directives, base stations within 50 metres of the border must have their antennas removed, except in community areas, where antennas must not be higher than 10 metres or must be replaced with small cells.
For base stations within 1,000 meters of the border, antenna heights are limited to 15 metres, while base stations within 3,500 meters of the border are limited to antenna heights of 30 metres.
In Sa Kaeo province, which lies next to the Cambodian border, True removed four mobile towers and adjusted the antenna heights of four others, said Chakkrit Urairat, chief corporate affairs officer of True Corp.
“In addition, we have expanded these measures to key border areas, including Three Pagodas Pass and Ban Phu Nam Ron in Kanchanaburi, as well as Mae Sot, Phop Phra, and Mae Ramat districts in Tak province,” he added. “We are also expediting compliance in seven other provinces – Chiang Rai, Surin, Buri Ram, Mukdahan, Nong Khai, Chanthaburi, and Ranong – targeting completion within 30 days, in full accordance with NBTC’s directives.”
Chakkrit also said True will install small cell base stations to ensure communities will remain unaffected by tower adjustments and removals.
“After dismantling existing signal towers, our team will conduct thorough signal assessments and engage with local communities before strategically installing small cell stations in areas with weaker signals,” he said.
