Four groups of equipment vendors are expected to bid for state-owned TOT’s Bt20bn (US$650m) 3G tender, reported the Bangkok Post.
The bidders may reportedly include Samart Corporation with Loxley and Huawei Technology; Forth Corporation together with ZTE…
Four groups of equipment vendors are expected to bid for state-owned TOT’s Bt20bn (US$650m) 3G tender, reported the Bangkok Post.
The bidders may reportedly include Samart Corporation with Loxley and Huawei Technology; Forth Corporation together with ZTE Thailand; Advanced Information Technology (AIT) in partnership with Alcatel-Lucent (Thailand) and U-Tel Co, a subsidiary of United Communications.
The fourth bidder might be Ericsson along with Jasmine International Group, the Bangkok Post wrote.
Once all the bids are received, TOT will review the consortia’s offers. One selection criteria will be participation in a large local or foreign telecom project.
Bidders who meet the technical and commercial requirements will then be invited to an e-auction on 28 January, and a contract will be signed by mid-February, the newspaper explained.
The 3G project is split in three stages: Bt17.5bn (US$570m) for procurement of network equipment; Bt540m (US$17.5m) as a reserve; and Bt2bn (US$65m) to upgrade TOT’s 3G network in Bangkok.
Kamthon Waithayakul, senior executive vice-president for mobile business of TOT, was quoted saying that within about six months of the contract being awarded, 3G services would be available in 13 of Thailand’s 76 provinces. The remaining provinces will be covered later, the report added.
In separate news, TOT said recently it might transform its MVNO business model into a retail service in order to get around a provision in the new National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) Act, the Bangkok Post also reported.
Late last year, a new law aimed at creating an independent body in charge of 3G frequency allocation in Thailand came into effect after receiving royal endorsement.
But the Act stipulates that rights for bandwidth use are exclusive and cannot be transferred, which may pose a problem to MVNOs.
Five companies are already operating on TOT’s network, while several other private cellcos are looking to establish similar partnerships, according to local reports. These include AIS, which said it would soon provide commercial 3G services in partnership with TOT, and True Move.
But AIS has reportedly expressed concerns over the NBTC’s provision and asked the Council of State to clarify the matter.
