The countdown to the October 16 auction of third-generation (3G) telecom licences was officially launched yesterday, heralding changes to the telecom industry on many fronts.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) kicked off the countdown to the auction of the 2.1-gigahertz spectrum slots.
Thailand's major telecom operators - Advanced Info Service (AIS), Total Access Communication (DTAC), True Corp, CAT Telecom and TOT - took part in the Bt7-million countdown event.
InTouch executive chairman Somprasong Boonyachai said yesterday that Thailand needs a strong telecom infrastructure network to foster its competitiveness as it heads into the Asean Economic Community in 2015. He said that InTouch, the parent group of AIS, is financially ready to bid for the spectrum.
DTAC's chief corporate affairs officer Darm Sukontasap said yesterday that his company was also financially well prepared, with funds for its bid coming from its cash flow and bank loans.
True chief operating officer Vichaow Rakphongphairoj said he was confident that the auction would take place.
On October 16, the NBTC will ask for bids on nine slots of the 2.1GHz spectrum, each containing 5 megahertz of bandwidth, with a reserve price of Bt4.5 billion per slot. The auction will last until October 18 and each bidder can bid for a maximum of three slots.
So far, 16 companies, including subsidiaries of AIS, DTAC and True, have picked up the memorandum of the auction's terms and conditions. However, it has been speculated that only AIS, DTAC and True will eventually make bids.
NBTC deputy secretary-general Pijapol Jantanasaro said the auction was an issue of public importance and had gained a positive public response.
He said the 3G-2.1GHz technology would give Thai telecom consumers better quality. The technology can be deployed to provide services including tele-education and e-healthcare.
The granting of the 3G-2.1GHz business licences will also shift the cellular industry from the existing state-concession regime to an NBTC licensing regime.
NBTC telecom committee chairman Settapong Malisuwan said he was confident that the auction would go ahead without hitches.
The NBTC is still under the shadow of the failure of its predecessor, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), to launch the 2.1GHz auction in September 2010.
The NTC was forced to call off the 2010 auction after CAT successfully challenged the NTC's authority as licenser at the Central Administrative Court. The NBTC has asked the court to drop the case against the NTC in a bid to plug all possible legal loopholes that could derail its auction on October 16.
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Source: http://www.news.thethailandlinks.com/2012/09/21/countdown-to-3g-licence-auction-kicks-off/
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