UNCERTAINTY OFPUBLIC PAY PHONE IN THAILAND: IMPLICATION FOR THE UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATION

摘要

Public pay phone often located in a telephone booth or a privacy hood, with payment made by insertingcoins, a credit/debit card or a telephone card. Payphone revenues have sharply declined in manycountries, largely due to the increased usage of mobile phones during the last decade. Thisphenomenon can be also observed in Thailand. On another hand, the National Broadcasting andTelecommunications Commission (NBTC) of Thailand has increased the number of public pay phonesunder the Universal Service Obligation (USO) act. This is to ensure that all people in the country havereasonable access to a standard telephone service, whether it is for private or business use. This hasled to high investment cost.This study empirically examines the key determinant factors for individual consumer to use publicpayphone. A discrete choice model is employed together with the data from a national survey in 2011,commissioned by the NBTC, is used for the analysis. The result shows that ownership of fixedtelephone and mobile phone, income, occupation and area of living are recognized as the determinantsfor public payphone demand. The findings indicated that the payphone is a necessity for people withlower income. Hence, NBTC should continue the project through the USO fund, and reassess the areasand group of people who need this service. This is to ensure that the policy is effectively implementedand benefits those who need it.