NBTC vows to go ahead with 3G bid

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) confirmed Monday that the planned auction of third-generation (3G) wireless licences will go ahead as scheduled next week.

NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasit insisted there would be no further delays to the auction.

Former president of the Thailand Telecommunication Management Academy, Anuparp Thiralarp, has threatened to petition the Administrative Court to suspend the auction until the agency amends its regulations to "better benefit the public in compliance with the constitution".

Mr Takorn said Mr Anuparp's threat to take legal action today came as no surprise _ five other people have already lodged a slate of legal challenges to halt the auction.

The NBTC plans to auction off the 2100 megahertz bandwith on Oct 16 for use with 3G technology.

Three main private mobile operators _ Advanced Info Service (AIS), Dtac and True Move _ are expected to bid for the licences.

The NBTC will announce the names of the qualified bidders Tuesday. Disqualified applicants will have three days to appeal.

Mr Takorn said the auction procedures have been carried out under the 2010 Frequency Allocation Act.

"We're now ready to clarify all questions concerning the 3G auction process and regulations," he added.

Mr Takorn said the 3G licensing auction procedure is legally binding and covers all possible concerns, including service quality standards, technology development and consumer protection.

Mr Takorn said the NBTC will transfer tens of billions of baht from the sale of the 3G spectrum to the Finance Ministry to invest in other public services.

Opponents of the auction have called on the NBTC to revise the bid terms. One demand is that the NBTC should limit service charges for 3G mobile services at 200 baht a month.

Mr Takorn said he expected that the 3G service will come with lower prices than existing rates because operators will enjoy lower operating costs under the new licensing system.

3G operators will be subject to a licensing fee of 2% of their annual revenues and a 3.75% universal service obligation tax on the revenue.

He said the NBTC plans to draft a new regulation establishing a ceiling for mobile phone service charges. The new rate will be lower than the existing rate of 99 satang per minute.

NBTC commissioner Suthiphon Thaveechaiyagarn warned that Mr Anuparp, who is threatening to sue in order to stop the auction from going ahead, should check the law properly before filing his petition.

Mr Suthiphon said the 3G licence auction is clearly covered by Section 45 of the the Frequency Allocation Act, the Telecommunications Act as well as the constitution.

Mr Anuparp claims the NBTC has not allowed for regulating the prices charged by operators for data transmission, a loophole that could result in licence holders increasing data charges at the expense of consumers.

Songkhla Wichaikhatkha, a legal adviser to the NBTC, said that even after the winner is selected, 3G services cannot be launched straight away because an operator must build at least 80% of its network before offering the service to customers.

When the NBTC knows how much it costs to build the network then it will set rate ceilings, he said.

Share your thoughts

Discussion 1 : 09/10/2012 at 04:20 PM
"Owning a smart phone in Thailand that basically has no 3G is like owning a Ferrari in a country with unpaved dirt roads." Neither a Ferrari nor a smartphone makes sense in Thailand (certainly not the former in Bangkok), yet we seem to have plenty. For the Ferraris, spend some time in the Thonglor area on a weekend night or early morning.
Discussion 2 : 09/10/2012 at 02:14 PM
Am I the only one who's sick and tired of hearing about this never ending 3G saga? I'm still waiting for 4G and Windows 8 to come out.
Discussion 3 : 09/10/2012 at 12:07 PM
D2 - The current 3G service uses a different lower frequency that has already been allocated to the telecoms, but which is not as well suited for 3G data speeds. The auction is for the better 2100 Mhz which is the international standard frequency and allows proper 3G service.
Discussion 4 : 09/10/2012 at 11:24 AM
Disc 9: Four dots in an ellipsis?
Discussion 5 : 09/10/2012 at 11:23 AM
Disc 9: Four dots in an ellipis?
Discussion 6 : 09/10/2012 at 10:34 AM
It auction would appear to be a foregone conclusion if the TV adds are anything to go by.
Discussion 7 : 09/10/2012 at 10:34 AM
What chance has Thailand got of delivering proper 3G, when we cAnt even get the speeds we pay for on internet.....NO CHANCE
Discussion 8 : 09/10/2012 at 10:00 AM
The 3G auction has become nothing more than a punchline .
Discussion 9 : 09/10/2012 at 09:21 AM
Disc7: only 1 full stop ?....
Discussion 10 : 09/10/2012 at 08:54 AM
Owning a smart phone in Thailand that basically has no 3G is like owning a Ferrari in a country with unpaved dirt roads.
Discussion 11 : 09/10/2012 at 08:52 AM
If the internet companies would try and get wire based internet going right how are they ever going to manage 3 g if they cant even agree to bid on it. A shower of rain and the internet off in Thai i have had better dail up internet than i have broadband here and as for selling 8mb he hehhe not in khon kaen lucky to keep it connected 4g hehhehe most of us wont live to see it it Thai and be interesting to see the speed of 3 g when full operational I used to live in uk where it rains a lot and it never put internet off who ever is managing the internet here in Thai is not up to their job time they resigned and if Thai companies cant do the job then get outside companies to do it who know what they are doing for obviously they have little idea here
Discussion 12 : 09/10/2012 at 08:43 AM
3G? You're behind the times, 'Land of Smiles'. Every Thai I know is obsessed with these damn phones! Better to put the phones down, and do what you did before cell phones were growing out of everyone's right hand..... Talk face to face! You have a beautiful language and culture.... use it!
Discussion 13 : 09/10/2012 at 07:17 AM
HA! IF it goes forward, they can begin fighting about 4-G which is common elsewhere!
Discussion 14 : 09/10/2012 at 07:15 AM
Quote Former president of the Thailand Telecommunication Management Academy, Anuparp Thiralarp, has threatened to petition the Administrative Court to suspend the auction until the agency amends its regulations to "better benefit the public in compliance with the constitution". What has this man done in the last few years to actively help to get 3G up and running in Thailand?
Discussion 15 : 09/10/2012 at 06:55 AM
"The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) confirmed Monday that the planned auction of third-generation (3G) wireless licences will go ahead as scheduled next week." Why do I not believe it until it has happened...?
Discussion 16 : 09/10/2012 at 06:23 AM
Someone help me out here please. 3G will go ahead? I've had 3G, albeit poor service for over a year. Does this mean I've be getting it without my operator having a license? Will there will be better coverage now?
Discussion 17 : 09/10/2012 at 06:17 AM
Such incompetence and years behind the rest of the civilized world.

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