Rule clouds Intouch's bid for licence
Only businesses with at least 75-per-cent Thai ownership will be able to apply for upcoming licences to commercially provide radio and television broadcasting service, and also terrestrial digital-TV service.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission is drawing up regulations to license the radio and TV broadcasting sector, and one of the key criteria will be that licence applicants have to be at least 75 per cent owned by Thais, in line with the 2008 Broadcasting Act.
The NBTC’s broadcasting committee chairman, Natee Sukonrat, yesterday said that every country normally reserved this kind of radio and TV content business, as well as cultural content, to be operated and controlled by their own people.
Many companies are interested in applying for a licence from the watchdog to broadcast terrestrial digital-TV programmes. Among them are Samart, and InTouch, formerly known as Shin Corp.
However, the 75-per-cent Thai ownership rule has raised a question of whether InTouch is eligible to apply for a licence to be a channel operator of terrestrial digital-TV programmes, due to continuing doubts over the level of its foreign share ownership.
The Department of Special Investigation has yet to complete its investigation into whether Kularb Kaew was a nominee of Temasek Holdings when the Singaporean state investment agency took over Shin Corp in 2006.
The DSI’s probe followed a report by the Commerce Ministry’s of Business Development Department, which had reached such a preliminary conclusion about Kularb Kaew’s status.
Temasek Holdings controls InTouch via two Temasek affiliates, Aspen Holdings and Cedar Holdings. As of last month, the two companies owned 41.62 per cent and 37.99 per cent of InTouch, respectively. Kularb Kaew owns 45.22 per cent of Cedar Holdings.
"InTouch can apply for a licence, providing it can meet the criteria in our upcoming licensing regulations," Natee added.
Earlier, InTouch executive chairman Somprasong Boonyachai said the company would apply for a licence to operate three digital channels – entertainment, news and sport.
The NBTC is drafting the regulations for licensing terrestrial digital-TV broadcasting service. There will be four classes of licence: for providing a network transmission system; for the rental of facilities such as broadcasting towers; for being a channel operator; and for the provision of application services.
The regulator is expected to auction commercial terrestrial digital-TV licences next year.
