TOT union rallies over spectrum rights
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THE TOT labour union yesterday called for a gathering of its members and the public today at its headquarters to defend the state telecommunication agency's right to keep the 900-megahertz spectrum.
Today is also the first day the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is allowing interested companies to pick up bid documents for two 900MHz telecom licences. They may do so until October 21.
The original schedule for potential bidders to pick up the documents was from September 24 to October 25. The NBTC also changed the date of bid submissions to October 22, four days ahead of the original schedule of October 26. The auction rules were published in the Royal Gazette on Friday.
All major telecom operators are expected to show up today to pick up the bid documents.
The TOT union called for employees and others to gather today at its headquarters on Chaeng Wattana Road to defend the agency’s right to keep the 900MHz spectrum after its concession expires on September 30. It will also submit a letter to the Information and Communications Technology Ministry on what it contends is TOT’s right to keep the spectrum.
The union also wants to voice its desire for TOT to receive compensation its past amendments of Advanced Info Service’s concession. The state agency has alleged that these amendments damaged it financially.
Representatives of TOT and the NBTC, ICT Minister Uttama Savanayana, and Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam convened yesterday on the problems centring on the 900MHz spectrum.
At the meeting, Wissanu asked the NBTC what it would do about TOT’s opposition to the auction, opining that TOT would file a lawsuit to stop the auction.
NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith told Wissanu that the commission had no choice but to press ahead with the auction plan. Failing to auction the 900MHz licences could cost the country more than Bt70 billion, he claimed.
“It’s okay if TOT challenges us in court, but we have to press ahead with the auction plan,” Takorn said.
Wissanu asked why the dates of the 1,800MHz auction – November 11 – and the 900MHz auction – tentatively set for December 15 – were so far apart, which might bring advantages or disadvantages to the bidders of both spectra.
Takorn said that NBTC’s telecom committee would soon consider finalising the auction date for the 900MHz licences, which might be moved up to some time in November.
Wissanu said he would present this 900MHz case to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
TOT, which granted a 900MHz concession to AIS, wants to keep the spectrum. In the past it amended the AIS concession from time to time. The amendments were among many cases cited by the Supreme Court in its 2010 ruling that found former PM Thaksin Shinawatra guilty of abuse of power. AIS was founded by the Shinawatra family.
The Cabinet last Tuesday gave approval for the ICT Ministry to urge TOT to proceed with the AIS case according to the Supreme Court's ruling on the Thaksin case.
In a separate matter, the NBTC yesterday disclosed that 11 million mobile-phone subscribers had still not registered their SIM cards with their service operators. If they fail to do so, they will be unable to call out or use data services from October 1 on.
These 11 million subscribers account for a total prepaid card value of Bt110 million. They can reclaim cash at their mobile service providers or ask them to transfer their cards’ value to their bank accounts if they fail to register SIM cards by the deadline.
Of the total of 85.5 million prepaid mobile-phone users, 74.5 million have registered their SIM cards. Of these, 37.16 million are in the AIS network, 22.89 million in the Total Access Communication (DTAC) network, and the remaining 14.45 million on the True Group network.
