Uncertainty of public pay phone in Thailand: Implications for the universal service obligation

Public pay telephones are fast becoming technological dinosaurs headed quickly toward extinction. In Thailand, however, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has included the public pay phone as part of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) to ensure that all people in the country have reasonable access to a standard telephone service on request, and that payphones are accessible to all people on an equitable basis, wherever they live or carry on business. In spite of this, however, public pay phones and their revenue are also sharply declining due to the ever increasing encroachment of mobile phone technology. The researcher therefore undertook a study to empirically examine the key determinant factors for individual consumers using public payphones. A discrete choice model is employed together with the analysis of data from a 2011 national survey commissioned by the NBTC. Payphone usage is determined by the ownership of fixed phones, mobile phones and income which all play an important role with payphone being a necessary service for low-income people. Hence, NBTC should continue support through the USO fund and reassess the areas and groups of people who need this service in order to ensure that the USO policy is effectively and beneficially implemented.