TOT trims operating costs, outsourced staff
Phone number query service being retired
State telecom enterprise TOT has terminated a decades-long service for destination phone number queries to cut operating costs as the service has low interest from the public.
More than 100 outsourced staff are being transferred to other services, such as the Government Contact Centre 1111.
The move is meant to restructure unprofitable businesses as TOT is scheduled to formally merge with fellow state telecom enterprise CAT Telecom into National Telecom on Jan 7.
The 1133 query service, which was terminated on Jan 1, allowed people to request the phone numbers of individuals, companies or juristic persons. It was formerly known as the 13 call service centre.
TOT acting president Morakot Theinmontree said the service, which has been provided for decades, earns no revenue for the enterprise but incurs 50 million baht in operational costs per year, including expenses from rental fees of the operation system and maintenance, as well as salaries for more than 100 staff.
The service sees little use as people have various ways to reach their contacts, including messaging apps and social media platforms, he said.
“There are only 30 phone calls made to the 1133 system per month on average,” Mr Morakot said. “The service is unpopular, and is not considered to be in line with digital transformation.”
TOT terminated employment contracts with some 100 outsourced staff providing the service. They were hired by TOT Outsourcing Services, known as TOT OS.
Half of them are being transferred to related services, which could create more benefits for TOT, such as the 1111 call centre service for the government.
He said the end of 2020 was the proper time to restructure all impractical services and business. The move should help with cost management and the merger, said Mr Morakot.
He said TOT is gearing up to become a telecom infrastructure-sharing provider for mobile operators engaged in 5G services through a variety of infrastructure assets.
The state telecom enterprise’s infrastructure includes optic fibre, a cellular network, cable conduits with a length of 3,500 kilometres, last-mile access nodes and cement utility poles.
Mr Morakot said TOT needs to create a new HR management structure for TOT OS, transforming it into a core engine for manpower skills for the digital economy during the transition period for the merger.
TOT OS, which has 6,000 staff under the outsourcing system, differs from the old employment structure, which existed before 2012, as employees in the latter system enjoy better benefits, including medical coverage for their family members and higher salary rates.
There are 10,853 employees under the old recruitment system.
While TOT and CAT Telecom are due to officially merge on Jan 7, full consolidation is expected over 18 months.