Thailand’s House of Representatives has rejected the Frequency Allocation Bill, which would have helped set up a new regulator for the allocation of 3G licences, according to the Bangkok Post.
The MPs notably opposed an amendment from the Senate to…
Thailand’s House of Representatives has rejected the Frequency Allocation Bill, which would have helped set up a new regulator for the allocation of 3G licences, according to the Bangkok Post.
The MPs notably opposed an amendment from the Senate to increase the number of commissioners in the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) from 11 to 15, explained the Bangkok Post.
A joint House-Senate committee has been set up to deliberate on the bill without a time limit.
A few weeks ago, the Thai Supreme Administrative Court upheld the suspension of the 3G licence auction, following a request from state-owned telcos CAT and TOT.
CAT Telecom 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. The NTC is currently being transformed into a catch-all media regulator, the NBTC, and a court ruled that this entity should be fully formed 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.
In a separate report, Commissioner Natee Sukonrat was quoted by Dow Jones as saying that the 3G auction cancellation is expected to cost the NTC about Bt 8m (US$2.6m). Among the expenses were a roadshow, an exhibition and software, Natee reportedly said.
Most of Thailand’s neighbours – such as Cambodia and Laos – have already started rolling out 3G services.