Bandwidth approved for rail projects
The government agreed yesterday to allocate frequency bandwidth for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) to support the ambitious double-track and highspeed rail network nationwide.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission had earlier proposed that the Transport Ministry be allowed to use a bandwidth on the 800900MHz spectrum for a wireless railway communication system.
The proposal was approved at a meeting of the National Digital Economy and Society Committee yesterday chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, said Digital Economy and Society Minister Pichet Durongkaveroj.
The committee also approved a request to allocate the 400MHz band for the communication network of a planned ThaiJapanese high-speed railway project.
The NBTC reported that it is scheduled to provide the 800-900MHz spectrum by September 2018 and the 400MHz by late 2020.
In a related development, the committee also approved the State Railway of Thailand operating its own fibre-optic cable as a private network by using the infrastructure of the National Broadband Network Co and Pracha Rat’s internet broadband project.
According to Mr Pichet, the committee approved an improvement to the submarine cable network covering Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia to cater to growing demand in the three countries.
The committee also gave the nod to investment to build a new submarine cable network linking Asia-Pacific through Hong Kong, he said.
The government is currently in talks with three companies, two from China and one from Singapore, that are interested in co-investing in the project, said Mr Pichet.
Also approved yesterday was the smart city development plan in seven provinces, including Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen.
The other three provinces — Rayong, Chon Buri and Chachoengsao — have been designated for the Eastern Economic Corridor project.