CAT to meet ministry over idle bandwidth
State agency CAT Telecom and Information and Communications Technology Ministry will hold a meeting with the national licensing body tomorrow to discuss whether CAT has the right to use its idle 25MHz bandwidth on 1,800MHz until 2025, instead of 2018.
The now-defunct Post and Telegraph Department had assigned the 75MHz bandwidth from 1,800MHz to CAT in 1991 without specifying the spectrum’s expiry date.
CAT later assigned 50MHz bandwidth from the spectrum to Total Access Communication (DTAC) on the condition that DTAC will have to initially use the first 25MHz bandwidth. DTAC was to be allowed use of the balance 25MHz bandwidth only after the first 25MHz had been fully utilised. Colonel Sanpachai Huvanandana, a CAT board member and acting CAT president, said that as DTAC had yet to fully use the first half of the bandwidth, CAT should be able to use the idle band until 2025, which is the expiry date for the telecom licence granted to the state agency by the NBTC.
The NBTC has insisted that this 1,800MHz spectrum term should end in 2018, which is when CAT’s concession to DTAC expires.
Sanpachai said that CAT needs the idle 25MHz bandwidth to provide wireless broadband service on wholesale and retail basis to serve its new vision of becoming the "digital economy platform". It is also eager to provide the 4G wireless broadband service on the spectrum.
Sanpachai said that CAT is seeking potential parnerships to provide wireless broadband service. The state agency already is already in talks with a possible partner from Japan, but declined to elaborate.
A state agency source said that among potential partners CAT is in talks with are Japan’s telecom and Internet service provider SoftBank.
The NBTC will put up for bidding four licences – two of 12.5MHz each on the 1,800MHz spectrum of TrueMove and Digital Phone Co (DPC), and two of 10MHz each on the 900MHz spectrum of Advanced Info Service. The NBTC will hold the 1,800MHz auction in November, and invite bids for the two 900MHz licences in December.
Last week, CAT discussed with DTAC the telco’s proposal that the NBTC realign each of the 1,800MHz band of TrueMove and DPC to connect TrueMove and DPC spectrum bands together.
In a separate matter, Sanpachai said that early this month Real Move of True Corp had issued to CAT cheques for a combined Bt34 billion for its purchase of CAT’s 850MHz bandwidth since 2011 to provide 3G service. After adjusting expenses, CAT made a net profit of Bt4 billion.
CAT and True Group entered into partnership in 2011 to provide 3G service. CAT has wholesaled the 850MHz bandwidth to Real Move to offer the 3G service.
