Panel convened to sort out telecoms
THE INFORMATION and Communications Technology Ministry has formed the committee to seek ways to settle the disputes between TOT and Advanced Info Service before AIS' concession expires in September.
ICT Minister Pornchai Rujiprapa said last week that the committee, which was established under Article 43 of the new Public-Private Joint Venture Act, is expected to reach a conclusion in the middle of this year.
Then the ministry will forward the conclusion to the Cabinet for consideration.
He declined to specify which problems the committee would focus on.
The AIS-TOT disputes range from the rental rate for their telecommunication towers to ownership of the towers under the concession.
A source from AIS said the company has urged the ministry to establish the committee as soon as possible to clear up the problems before the concession ends.
It remains to be seen if the committee will discuss the conclusion by the committee founded under Article 22 of the old public-joint venture law that AIS has to resume the original concession terms regarding its revenue-sharing with TOT from the prepaid mobile phone service.
TOT had amended AIS’ concession to allow AIS to reduce its prepaid revenue-sharing rate from 25-30 per cent to a 20-per-cent flat rate starting in June 2001. The Supreme Court cited the case in ruling in February 2010 that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was guilty of abuse of power.
AIS is the flagship of InTouch Holdings, formerly known as Shin Corp, which was founded by the Shinawatras.
Shortly after the court verdict, the government set up the committee under Article 22 to consider how to proceed.
During the Yingluck Shinawatra government, the Article 22 committee concluded that AIS and TOT have to return to the original concession terms. However, the case faded away.
Shin and AIS have insisted that their operations have strictly complied with the law and regulations.
TOT granted the 900MHZ cellular concession to AIS to provide the service. The NBTC originally planned to auction the 12.5MHz-wide band of TrueMove and a similar band of Digital Phone Co (DPC) in the 1,800MHz spectrum in the middle of last year, and AIS’ 17.5MHz band in the 900MHz spectrum late last year.
However, after the junta seized power, it ordered the watchdog to suspend the bidding for one year, pending “complete clarification” of the plan to the new military regime.
