NBTC pressed on spectrum auction
The sooner the next auction of licences for telecommunications bandwidth takes place the better, to cater to fast-rising demand for wireless data service, said Sigve Brekke, executive vice president and head of Telenor group's operations in Asia.
Brekke, who also serves as interim chief executive office of Total Access Communication (DTAC), said the telecom industry was in need of more spectrum bandwidth, as the data take-up in Thailand is very high.
Last week Information and Communications Technology Minister Pornchai Rujiprapa said he was confident that the auction of fourth-generation spectrum licences would take place by August.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission had intended to open bidding for the 1,800-megahertz bandwidths of both TrueMove and Digital Phone Co in the middle of last year, but in July the junta ordered the NBTC to suspend the auction for a year, pending thorough "clarification" of the auction plan. The 1,800MHz spectrum can be used for 4G wireless broadband.
The NBTC has asked the military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order if it can begin preparing for the auction but has yet to receive any signal from the junta on the matter.
True Corporation and DTAC are currently the only two telecom operators here offering 4G service, using the 2.1-gigahertz spectrum.
In a related matter, the NBTC telecom committee on Monday approved extending the planned 900MHz spectrum auction, when it takes place, to sell off 20MHz of bandwidth instead of only 17.5MHz as previously planned. This is part of the committee’s revision of the telecom spectrum master plan.
Currently Advanced Info Service uses this portion of the 900MHz spectrum to provide cellular service under a TOT concession, which will expire in September. The NBTC aims to reclaim this spectrum for auction.
