ICT Ministry to propose that CAT and DTAC return 5MHz of bandwidth
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THE INFORMATION and Communication Technology Ministry will today propose to the National Broadband Committee a plan by CAT Telecom - to return 5MHz bandwidth of 1800 MHz to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission for the spectrum licen
ICT Minister Pornchai Rujiprapa said that CAT and Total Access Communication (DTAC) recently reached the conclusion that they would jointly transfer 5MHz of 1800MHz to the NBTC without any attached condition.
This is a change from their earlier plan to transfer this spectrum on the condition that the NBTC must divide the total 1800MHz spectrum the regulator will put in the auction into three licences, each with 10MHz bandwidth.
CAT granted 50MHz bandwidth of 1800MHz to DTAC to provide a cellular service. If the NBTC agrees to add this 5MHz to its auction plan, it would have a total of 30MHz bandwidth of the 1800MHz spectrum up for grabs in the auction.
The original plan was to have 25MHz of bandwidth, of which 12.5MHz was reclaimed from TrueMove and the other half from Digital Phone Co.
The broadband committee has to be informed about this 5MHz spectrum transfer, given it oversees the overview policy of the country’s broadband service development. The 1800MHz spectrum can be used to offer a 4G wireless broadband service.
Pornchai said that the ministry might also propose to the broadband committee a resolution of the NBTC’s telecom committee last week to impose a 60-megahertz cap on the bandwidth each telecom operator can hold.
The cap is part of the NBTC’s plan to auction 1800MHz and 900MHz spectrum licences this year.
The NBTC’s telecom committee will next month propose to the NBTC board this 60-megahertz cap. The cap covers combined spectra under state concessions and under NBTC licences.
According to DTAC chief executive Lars Ake Norling, DTAC is not fully aware of the resolution on the spectrum cap and its detailed conditions, and was not in a position to give any specific comments now.
However, the company’s general view of the spectrum cap issue is that caps should be developed through a public consultation process, and should have the aim of preventing market distortion through spectrum monopolisation.
A cap should be based on the amount of free spectrum available outside concessions, as different conditions and expirations apply to concessionary spectrum.
