Briefs

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC)’s telecom committee will propose to the NBTC board that the committee set up a panel to solve technical problems stemming from its plan to use part of the spectrum allocated to digital TV broadcasting to providing telecom services. Settapong Malisuwan, telecom committee chairman, said he is hopeful that the panel will be able to find a solution that will not impact on the broadcasting committee’s plan to issue digital TV licences this year.
The telecom committee seeks to use the spectrum range of 698 to 806 megahertz for the future provision of broadband cellular service. But that range overlaps with the 510-790MHz range the broadcasting committee plans to license for digital television. The telecom committee will advise the broadcasting committee to use the 470-694MHz range for digital TV instead.
Yesterday the telecom committee also approved the draft of measures to protect a combined 18 million mobile phone subscribers of TrueMove and Digital Phone Co, whose concessions under CAT Telecom will end on September 15. The committee has yet to assign any party to take care of these subscribers once the concession ends.

Property market thriving: poll
Demand for property, especially land plots and condominiums, is surging, according to a survey conducted by DDproperty.com, a website providing information on Thailand’s property market and a unit of Property Guru Group.
The survey was conducted in collaboration with Added Value Saffron Hill, an independent research agency, in the first quarter of this year in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. In Thailand, the survey polled 1,503 respondents aged between 21 and 69, asking them through online questionnaires about property trends in the local market.
The survey found that 47 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the situation of the property market in Thailand and four out of five of the respondents expected that property prices would increase in the next six months.
About 54 per cent of respondents believed the government has provided sufficient support to assist people in buying property.
About 52 per cent were disappointed with the government’s first-home scheme, while 63 per cent said the government should issue strict regulations on the purchase of property by foreigners in the Kingdom.

Trade mission to Nanning
scheduled for late June
The Foreign Trade Department will lead a mission of exporters to the Chinese city of Nanning during June 25-28, following high demand for Thai products.
 Director-general Pranee Siriphand said the mission aimed to boost trade in line with the increase in local purchasing |power.
 Situated in Guang Xi province, Nanning has a population of 52 million. Due to its close link to the R9 Route, Thai shipments should grow continuously, said Pranee.
 During the trip, the Thai delegation will exchange views with the China Council for Promotion of International Trade on how to promote bilateral commerce and investment.

Egg traders urged to ease rising
prices by releasing stocks
The Commerce Ministry has urged the country’s five largest egg traders to release about 100 million eggs from cold storage to the market soon, in order to ease tension over recent significant price rises.
 Deputy Commerce Minister Natthawut Saikua yesterday said the Internal Trade Department had recently found that giant traders still had high stockpiles.
 The department has urged those enterprises to release the stocks in order to reduce tension over price hikes due to the low supply of eggs, he said.
 The retail price should be about Bt3 apiece for eggs graded 4 and 5, which are the smallest on the market.
 The ministry reported that while enterprises had not been speculating on egg prices, the smaller sizes are not favoured by consumers, resulting in large numbers having been left in cold storage.
 Natthawut said releasing these stocks should ease the rise in egg prices.
 While the market price is limited to Bt3.30 apiece for mixed-egg sales at the farm gate, it has surged to Bt4-Bt5 per egg because of the drought.

Correction
Regarding an article on Thailand-Pakistan trade published on May 27, one of the quotations should have read: “Pakistan can be a hub for exports to these areas, while Thailand can be our springboard to Southeast Asia – the region that Pakistan has no ‘significant trade’ relations with.” – The Nation

Kasikorn Securities, SET launch ‘Young Turk Investor Season 4’
Kasikorn Securities has joined forces with the Stock Exchange of Thailand in presenting “KS the Young Turk Investor Season 4” to offer investment knowledge and gain more than 10,000 new stock investors every year.
 The project, which is arranged under the concept of “New Generation: Let Your Money Work for You”, aims to promote efficient portfolio management with rational decision-making among young investors.
 This year, applications are being accepted in five provinces: Bangkok, Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri and Songkhla (Amphoe Hat Yai).
 Entrants must go through an intensive screening process, including application form, qualification, examination and interview.
 The 40 selected investors in each province, or 200 persons nationwide, will each receive Bt50,000 to start their investment in the stock market through their securities trading account, while they will be offered a free training course with instruction from stock experts.
 The top three investors from each province will win cash in an amount equal to the profits earned from their portfolio.
 Applicants must be at least 20 years old with Thai nationality and residence in Thailand, and must never have held a stock trading account with any securities company.
 Applications are being accepted from May 29 until July 22 for Bangkok, July 31 for Khon Kaen, August 31 for Chiang Mai, September 20 for Chon Buri and September 30 for Hat Yai.
 Interested persons can apply for the project through www.ksyoungturk.com and www.facebook.com/ksyoungturk.
 Kasikorn Securities targets at least 9,000 applicants nationwide participating in this year’s project.

Jetstar Asia hikes Bangkok flights
Jetstar Asia is adding eight services to its weekly schedule between Singapore and Bangkok from July 8 to cater for increasing demand from leisure and business travellers.
 The new services will see Jetstar Asia fly up to five times daily to Bangkok, adding more than 2,800 seats of new capacity each week between the two popular gateways in Southeast Asia.
 Jetstar Asia CEO Barathan Pasupathi said that Bangkok, and Thailand more broadly, continued to be one of the biggest markets for Jetstar in its Southeast Asian network.
 “We are adding capacity to Bangkok to meet ongoing strong demand from both the leisure market and an increasing number of business travellers attracted to our low fares and our expanding schedule,” he said.
 “Last year alone we welcomed 30 per cent more people on this route than in 2011, with more than 2 million passengers carried. With our new offering of up to five services a day, we can give more choices and better connection times to even more leisure travellers not just from Singapore but transiting through our Singapore hub on other Jetstar services,” he added.
 With the new services, the Jetstar Group will operate 106 flights a week to Thailand with services from Singapore and Sydney to Phuket and services from Melbourne and Singapore to Bangkok.
 One-way Economy Starter fares from Singapore to Bangkok start from 114 Singapore dollars, or Bt2,699.
 
PTG Energy makes SET debut
Fuel wholesaler and retailer PTG Energy starts share trading in the Stock Exchange of Thailand today.
 PTG has 574 PT-branded fuel stations across the country, of which 397 are operated by the company and the rest by its oil distributors.
 PTG launched an initial public offering of 386.6 million shares and offered 33.4 million shares to executives and staff – all priced at Bt3.90 apiece, for a total of Bt1.638 billion – on May 17 and during May 20 to 22.
 The proceeds will be used mainly for service-station network expansion.