Advanced Info Service (AIS) and Total Access Communication are urging the government to act rapidly to revive the 3G auction process in the country, according to Dow Jones citing executives at the company.
More specifically, the two privately-owned…
Advanced Info Service (AIS) and Total Access Communication are urging the government to act rapidly to revive the 3G auction process in the country, according to Dow Jones citing executives at the company.
More specifically, the two privately-owned telcos are calling for the government to push for the establishment of a new industry regulator in order to kick-start the licence auction process again.
In mid-November, both the House of Representatives and the Senate approved an amended Frequency Allocation Bill that will help create an independent body in charge of 3G frequency allocation in Thailand.
Called the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), the regulator will be able to issue 3G spectrum, ending the long delay to the country’s licensing process.
Back in September, the Thai Supreme Administrative Court upheld the suspension of the 3G licence auction, following a request from state-owned CAT and TOT.
They both applied to the Supreme Administrative Court to stop the process, claiming that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) did not have the authority to award licences and that it should be replaced by the NBTC before the auction can start.
CAT and TOT also argued that the 3G auction could impact their revenues. Under existing concessions, operators pay about 25-30% of their revenue to state-owned companies. This would compare to 6% under the new 3G concessions to be awarded.
It remains unclear when the auction will restart.
