'2.1GHZ to boost service'
Ensuring better quality of mobile voice and data service is not only a matter of improving cellular network coverage, but also of increasing spectrum bandwidth, National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission member Settapong Malisuwan said yester
The NBTC telecom committee chairman said the granting of the new spectrum licences, especially on the much-needed 2.1-gigahertz spectrum, would make more bandwidth available and enable telecom operators to provide better mobile-phone service quality.
There are 84 million mobile-phone numbers being used in Thailand. Wireless data consumption has also risen, straining the already congested spectrum bandwidth of some operators.
The NBTC will auction nine slots on the 2.1GHz spectrum, each containing 5 megahertz of bandwidth. The reserve price – the floor price of a 5MHz-bandwidth slot – is expected to be between Bt4 billion and Bt5 billion. The bandwidth each bidder is allowed to bid for is capped at 20MHz. The watchdog is expected to auction the spectrum in October.
Jon Eddy Abdullah, chief executive officer of Total Access Communication (DTAC), said his company had yet to finalise the target bandwidth amount it wants from the auction, but said the bidders should be able to gain equal amounts to promote fair competition and create balance in the industry.
It is expected that there will be only three bidders in this auction: Advanced Info Service (AIS), DTAC and True Corp group.
Abdullah said the licence bid would not pose a financial challenge for DTAC, given its large cash flow.
The NBTC also held a two-hour special “test drive” yesterday to monitor the network quality of AIS, DTAC and True group before the press. The chiefs of the three cellular operators joined the test drive, at the NBTC’s invitation.
The event was intended to show the media how the NBTC conducts its regular tests. Signal-monitoring vehicles travelled from the watchdog’s headquarters on Phaholyothin Soi 8 to Phya Thai Road, the Prathumwan junction, Rama IV Road, the Bang Na-Trat tollway and Suvarnabhumi Airport, and then back to NBTC headquarters. The test, which focused on voice service and mobile data download speed, recorded a 99-per-cent successful call rate for the three operators.
Settapong urged the three operators to invest more to improve their network quality.
There have been mounting complaints from mobile-phone users about call difficulties. Settapong said this situation could worsen next year if the NBTC does not make the 2.1GHz spectrum available to telecom operators.
