NBTC plans trial run of digital TV
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission wants to bring about a trial run of digital TV broadcasting this year.
NBTC member Supinya Klangnarong said yesterday that it would have to talk with the government first on which kinds of the digital technology the latter would adopt for Thailand.
Then the watchdog needs to grant temporary digital-TV broadcasting licences to free-TV operators to launch the trial service.
According to the draft of its spectrum-management master plan, the NBTC wants to switch radio and television broadcasting from analogue to digital technology within four years after the master plan takes effect.
The watchdog yesterday held a hearing with consumer groups on its spectrum-management, broadcasting and telecom master plans.
It will launch a nationwide hearing on the three plans on February 10.
Somkiat Tangkitvanit, vice president of the Thailand Development Research Institute, told the hearing yesterday that the NBTC should initiate talks with other Asean regulators to seek ways to lower international mobile-phone roaming rates in the region.
He added that the watchdog should also focus on pressing the telecommunications industry to play a greater role in enhancing the country’s overall competitiveness.
He said the NBTC should shorten the periods within which non-concession state spectrum holders have to return their spectra to the commission for reallocation.
This would enable the NBTC to reallocate the spectra for public use quickly.
The draft of the spectrum-management master plan requires the state spectrum holders to return such spectra within the determined periods, radio spectra within five years of the master plan taking effect, TV broadcasting spectra within 10 years, and telecom spectra within 15 years.
But Somkiat said radio spectra should be returned to the watchdog within three years and TV spectra within five.
For those spectra that were granted to private concession holders, the state agencies have to return them to the NBTC once the concessions expire.
The free-TV operators are technological ready to air programmes on the digital technology but household viewers will need compatible devices to receive the signals.
