TOT to pick partner for 4G on 2.3GHz spectrum 

He told a press conference that five telecom companies – the three major mobile operators, Advanced Info Service (AIS), Total Access Communication (DTAC) and True Corp; and two new players, Mobile LTE and Tantawan Telecommunication – were expected to take part in the selection process.
Interested parties will be able to pick up a ‘request for proposal’ document at TOT’s headquarters from February 10 to 15, with proposals due to be submitted to the state agency on March 27, he said.
“TOT expects to announce the winner by May and sign a deal by the third quarter, with the winner starting installation of the network in the final quarter of the year. TOT expects the 4G service on 2.3GHz to commence next year,” Rungsun explained.
According to the selection criteria, bidders have to propose investments that would enable the 2.3GHz network to cover 80 per cent of the population within five years. 
They must also propose a plan to commit to leasing 60 per cent of the network’s capacity, with TOT using the remaining capacity to provide its own cellular service and allocate spare capacity to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).
“We will select the winner using ‘beauty-contest’ criteria based on the best proposal from both the technical and commercial proposals,” the senior executive VP said.
TOT said earlier that it was hoping to gain Bt3.9 billion in annual net revenue from the 2.3GHz business, on a par with that received from its partnership with AIS in offering 4G service on TOT’s 2.1GHz spectrum.
TOT holds 60 megahertz of the 2.3GHz spectrum for a term that is due to expire in eight years. 
Four companies – AIS, DTAC, Mobile LTE |and Tantawan Telecom-|munication – participated in TOT’s press conference announcing its request for proposals for 4G partnership in the 2.3GHz spectrum .
DTAC is interested in securing the partnership with TOT as it failed to win a licence in the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission’s (NBTC) recent auctions of 1800MHz and 900MHz licences. 
DTAC’s concession contract with CAT Telecom to operate mobile service on the 850MHz and 1800MHz spectra expires next year. 
Mobile LTE, which was founded in 2014, owns a licence to operate an MVNO business, but has yet to commence operations. 
The NBTC telecom committee recently granted the company a licence to operate a satellite-based service.
 According to information at the Business Development Department, Tantawan Telecommunication was jointly founded in 2012 by the family of ex-senator Prasit Photasuthon. 
The company has registered capital of Bt100 million, with Duangkae – Prasit’s wife – the sole authorised signatory.
In 2012, the company submitted an application to bid for a 2.1GHz spectrum licence. 
 However, its application was rejected because of the lack of some key documents and a bank-guarantee cheque.
In 2010, Win Win NGV, which was founded by Prasit’s son, Yuthana, submitted an application to bid for 2.1GHz licences, but that application failed due to the lack of a cashier’s cheque and bank guarantee.