The telecom regulator plans to auction 380 megahertz of bandwidth for four telecom frequencies by 2020 in a drive to support further development of the country's digital infrastructure.
A man on a mobile phone and laptop simultaneously. Demand for online services and the Internet of Things has pushed the Thai regulator to consider a new bandwidth auction. Krit Promsaka na Sakolnakorn
The spectra will comprise 180MHz of downlink and uplink bandwidth on the 2600MHz spectrum by 2017; 90MHz on the 1800MHz spectrum and 20MHz on the 850MHz spectrum by March 2018; and 90MHz on the 700MHz spectrum by 2020.
Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), said the planned auction is intended to accommodate explosive demand for online services and the emerging Internet of Things (IoT).
Up to 420MHz of downlink and uplink bandwidth from various spectra have so far been allocated for telecom service uses.
But Mr Takorn said the existing amount of spectra in the industry is not sufficient to keep pace with the rapid developments in service innovation in the digital age and the widespread deployment of 5G wireless broadband technology.
5G mobile service is expected to be launched commercially in the global market by 2020. 5G technology could provide up to 100 times faster data rates than 4G. This is likely to create opportunities for new IoT use cases, augmented reality and virtual reality-based applications, smart vehicles, remote healthcare and robotics.
"The development of the digital ecosystem in Thailand requires more bandwidth resources to build core digital infrastructure to provide service innovations," said Mr Takorn yesterday at the 5G technology showcase held by Ericsson.
After the auctions take place, there will be a total of 800 MHz of downlink and uplink bandwidth for telecom service uses, exceeding the 700MHz level recommended by the International Telecommunication Union, he said.
Nadine Allen, president and head of Ericsson Thailand, said the country has been at the forefront in adopting information and communications technology (ICT) in Asia-Pacific. She said Thai consumers are ahead of or on par with global peers when it comes to embracing and using ICT.
Ericsson expects to see fast adoption of 5G technology among telecom service providers in Thailand as companies are moving quickly to meet customer needs, she said.
Mrs Allen said 5G technology will not only bolster the growth of mobile broadband and video streaming demands, it could also be a cost-effective alternative to fixed-line services.
Based on its internal reports, Ericsson found that consumers expect to see innovative services stemming from a 5G system. They include broadband and media everywhere, interactions between humans and machines or IoT, new sensor networks, smart vehicles and transport, and critical control of remote devices.
Ericsson projects 4.1 million new devices will get connected every day worldwide in 2017, reaching 18 billion by 2022.