The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has hinted it will set the minimum reserve price for two mobile spectrum auctions this year to provide superfast fourth generation (4G) mobile broadband services. The reserve prices will be as those suggested by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The planned reserve price for 5 megahertz of bandwidth on the 1800-MHz spectrum has been set at 5 billion baht, in an auction scheduled to take place this August.
The reserve price for another 5 MHz band on the 900-MHz spectrum would be 9 billion baht, in an auction to be held in November, said a source close to NBTC commissioners.
The national telecom regulator plans to hold an auction of licences for 25 MHz of bandwidth on the 1800-MHz spectrum, previously used by True Move and Digital Phone Co (DPC), in August.
Another auction for the 17.5-MHz band of the 900-MHz spectrum, used by mobile leader Advanced Info Service (AIS), is scheduled for November.
And an auction of 50-MHz band on the 1800-MHz spectrum, now in use by Total Access Communication (DTAC), is set for September 2015.
The sale of 3G mobile spectrum bandwidth on the 2100-MHz spectrum in 2012 attracted a storm of criticism, as the sale fetched 41.6 billion baht overall, only 1.13 billion or 2.78% above the reserve price. The national telecom regulator sold the spectrum bandwidth at the minimum reserve price of 4.5 billion baht.
Col Settapong Malisuwan, chairman of the NBTC’s telecom committee, said the ITU last year submitted a proposed reserve price for the 1800- and 900-MHz spectra, and a final draft will be submitted this month.
An information memorandum for the auction of 1800-MHz spectrum will be completed this month and for the 900-MHz spectrum in May.