Malaysian mobile operator Axiata Group Berhad does not plan to apply for a 3G mobile licence in Thailand in partnership with Samart, according to a Reuters report. This refutes comments last week by local telco Samart pointing to a joint bid by itself…
Malaysian mobile operator Axiata Group Berhad does not plan to apply for a 3G mobile licence in Thailand in partnership with Samart, according to a Reuters report. This refutes comments last week by local telco Samart pointing to a joint bid by itself and Axiata.
Axiata holds a 19% stake in Samart and a 35.8% in Samart I-Mobile, a Thai handset vendor and 3G MVNO. This local ownership would have allowed Axiata to participate in the auction. Thailand’s telecoms regulator, the National Telecom Commission (NTC), confirmed today that draft regulations aimed at preventing foreign dominance of local telecom operators would not apply during the first stages of the 3G auction, reports Dow Jones Newswires.
The NTC is planning to auction three 15-year 3G licences in the last week of September, with a starting price of THB12.8bn (US$402.9m). NTC commissioner Natee Sukonrat was quoted by Dow Jones as saying that 18 companies have so far requested application forms. These include Advanced Info Service, Total Access Communication, True Corp., Loxley and Jasmine International.
Axiata, Samart and the NTC were not available for comment by press time.
