TOT presses for 15-year spectrum-return period
TOT insists it must keep its precious 2.3-gigahertz spectrum for 15 years before returning the block for reallocation or it would not be commercially viable to partner with a private telecom operator to offer service on the spectrum.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission will convene tomorrow to finalise the periods within which the state agencies will have to return their telecom and broadcasting spectra for NBTC reallocation.
TOT board chairman Panthep Chamrasromran said yesterday that it would tell the watchdog that 15 years is an appropriate period within which the telecom agencies return their spectra.
TOT holds 64 megahertz of bandwidth of the 2.3GHz spectrum on the 2,304-2,368MHz band. It is willing to return 34MHz to the NBTC but wants to keep the rest to join with a private operator to offer fourth-generation cellular broadband service on Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology.
He said the NBTC should agree with TOT on the proposed spectrum return period of 15 years. If TOT declines to return 34MHz of bandwidth to the commission, the watchdog will have no 2.3GHz spectrum block for auction.
“We’ll use the 2,300-2,330MHz band to provide 4G service and will call in telecom operators to help provide this service,” Panthep said.
TOT owns the telecom concession of Advanced Info Service. AIS is launching 4G service on a trial basis with TOT, while AIS subsidiary Digital Phone Co (DPC) is doing the same with CAT Telecom, both under NBTC permits. TOT-AIS will jointly test the service on the 2.3GHz spectrum, and DPC-CAT on the 1,800MHz spectrum.
TOT’s board has asked its management to design the second phase of the 3G network expansion, which will include the LTE roll-out. The second phase, which will begin in May, will increase its 3G network by 15,000 sites from more than 4,000 currently.
TOT is scheduled to compete the establishment of 5,320 3G base stations in May as part of the first phase of its project.
The agency has delayed a plan to invest Bt13 billion in setting up an advanced next-generation network.
The 11 NBTC commissioners have diverse views on the periods during which the state agencies TOT and CAT will have to return their spectra for reallocation. It will convene this Wednesday tomorrow to finalise the periods and to consider approving the draft master plans for spectrum management, telecommunications and broadcasting.
As part of the spectrum plan, the state agencies will have to return spectra that have no expiration date within five years for radio, 10 years for TV, and 15 years for telecom spectra. But some commissioners think the periods should be shortened. Concession spectra will be returned once each concession ends.
