NBTC panel seeks to protect subscribers
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Committee devising plan for when TrueMove, DPC concessions end
The telecom panel of the National Broadcasting and Telecom-munications Commission yesterday appointed a subcommittee to draw up an action plan in connection with the approaching expiry of the concessions of 1,800-megahertz cellular operators TrueMove and Digital Phone Co (DPC).
The NBTC move is aimed at preventing the two companies’ subscribers from being adversely affected when the concessions, granted by CAT Telecom, end in September next year.
Telecom committee chairman Settapong Malisuwan said the subcommittee would complete the action plan within three months, and would work for as long as two years to ensure that the more than 18 million subscribers of TrueMove and DPC are not negatively affected.
Its legal subcommittee will work in parallel with the new panel, clarifying whether the NBTC can take back CAT’s 1,800MHz spectrum for reallocation once the TrueMove and DPC concessions end.
Under the NBTC’s spectrum management master plan, all state agencies have to return their concessioned spectra to the watchdog for reallocation after their private concessions expire.
However, both CAT and fellow state agency TOT are seeking ways to keep hold of their spectra after the concession periods end.
“We are confident that by law we are authorised to bring back the spectra for reallocation,” Settapong said.
The telecom committee yesterday also approved the final draft of regulations preventing foreign dominance in local telecom operators. The draft will be submitted for NBTC board approval today.
The panel has also asked Power Auction, Nera and Auction Techno-logies to submit details of their plans to advise the NBTC on its auction of the 2.1-gigahertz spectrum.
The telecom committee will select one of the three companies next month to be its adviser in the auction, which is scheduled to take place in the third week of October.
The companies have already submitted their technical and financial proposals to the NBTC committee tasked with hiring an adviser.
The committee gave the highest score of 95.5 out of 100 to the technical proposal of Power Auction, which proposed a fee of about Bt17.05 million, while Nera, which proposed a fee of about Bt9.11 million, got a score of 93.2 and Auction Technologies, which proposed about Bt21.06 million, scored 93.
Power Auction later offered to cut its fee to Bt15.34 million, close to the median price of Bt15 million.
In a separate matter, the NBTC office yesterday gave 27 handset importers and retailers 90 days in which to clarify the authenticity of the documentation they used in applying for import permits.
The watchdog will then submit their responses to the telecom committee to consider whether to press criminal charges against any of the companies for alleged use of false documentation in applying for the permits.
Companies wishing to import mobile devices require a permit from the NBTC. To obtain this, they must produce a document certifying that the device complies with international standards.
Such documents are issued to handset manufacturers by internationally certified testing labs.
The telecom committee resolved on June 20 to revoke the approvals granted to 27 companies over the past three years for the import of some 280 handset models after finding that documents, supposedly attesting that some handsets had been tested by authorised foreign laboratories, may have been faked or altered.
Some of the 27 importers said they had no idea the documents were fake, as they had been provided by the manufacturers.
In the meantime, most of the devices in question have ceased to be imported or are no longer on the market.
The 280 models in question, totalling 970,000 units, were all produced by Chinese manufacturers.
