Honda announces price increases

Honda revealed price increases of Bt37,000-Bt55,000 for its CR-V models, Bt24,000-Bt54,000 for its HR-V models, and Bt20,000 for City CNG models. The prices for other models – City, Jazz, Brio, and Brio Amaze – remain unchanged.

The new excise-tax system is computed on the basis of carbon-dioxide emission instead of engine size and vehicle category.

 

JAS Mobile to meet NBTC

Executives of JAS Mobile Broadband (JASMBB), which holds a 900MHz spectrum licence, plan to meet with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission tomorrow to learn more about its rules, said an NBTC source.

As a new wireless broadband operator under the NBTC licence, JASMBB feels that it needs to learn more about all the commission’s rules and procedures. It will also consult with the NBTC on how to apply for permits to import telecom equipment and install equipment.

JASMBB is a subsidiary of telecom operator Jasmine International. The company is expected to pay the first instalment of Bt8.04 billion of the 900-megahertz licence upfront fee and place a bank guarantee of the total upfront fee within the next couple of weeks to show financial readiness to invest heavily to develop its fourth-generation wireless business.

JASMBB plans to import telecom equipment from major vendors and has approached CAT Telecom on renting the state agency’s telecom towers to transmit its service. The company is expected to launch the 4G service next quarter.

JASMBB and True Move H Universal Communication (TUC) of True Corp each won a 900MHz licence at an auction last month by bidding Bt75.65 billion and Bt76.3 billion respectively. True is expected to pay the first instalment in the middle of this month.

 

Herbalife appoints Filipino 

Global nutrition company Herbalife has named Dr Francis Gregory Samonte, an expert in paediatric neurology, as the first Filipino appointed to its nutrition advisory board, effective January 1.

The Herbalife nutrition advisory board consists of leading experts from around the world in the fields of nutrition and health who inform, educate and train independent Herbalife members on the principles of nutrition, physical activity and healthy lifestyles.

Samonte’s appointment brings the membership of the Herbalife nutrition advisory board to 30. 

His appointment also reflects further expansion of nutrition and health experts from the Asia-Pacific region in the nutrition advisory board who will play a central role in raising public awareness and leading educational programmes on balanced nutrition and healthy active lifestyles in 15 countries across the region as part of Herbalife’s Asia-Pacific Wellness Tour initiative.

The company says Samonte is among the Philippines’ premier experts in paediatric neurology, and is currently based in Manila. He graduated from De La Salle University College of Medicine in the Philippines in 1995, and has since studied at institutions including John Hopkins University and Harvard Medical School in the US. 

He was a recipient of the Chairman’s Achievement Award, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Kentucky, and his affiliations include the Philippines Medical Association