NBTC keeps legal options on table as DTAC stalls
The telecom regulator has voiced confidence that Total Access Communication (DTAC) will join the 900-megahertz licence auction, but officials are prepared to file an appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court against a Central Administrative Court order allowing DTAC to continue using the 850-megahertz spectrum.
Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, said the NBTC was informed by DTAC chief executive Alexandra Reich that the company intended to join the 900MHz licence auction but could not submit t he required document yesterday, as the company must first get approval from the board of parent Telenor Group.
“We appreciate DTAC’s intentions and sincerity in this auction,” Mr Takorn said.
DTAC said it welcomed the flexibility offered by the NBTC in extending the submission deadline by one week to Oct 16 in the event that no bidding applications were submitted on Oct 9.
Under the auction rules, if no bidders submitted documents, the NBTC would extend the deadline for another week, and so it transpired. Thus the deadline is Oct 16 and the auction will be held on Oct 28.
Mr Takorn said that if DTAC fails to submit bid documents before noon on Oct 16, the NBTC will propose to its board for a second time to file an appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court against the Central Administrative Court’s order.
As of Sept 30, DTAC had some 250,000 customers on the 850MHz network, of which 151,000 were postpaid and 104,000 prepaid.
The segment generates 10.38 million baht in revenue.
Mr Takorn said the NBTC remains confident that the auction will take place on Oct 28, with DTAC TriNet as the sole bidder and the auction price starting at 37.98 billion baht.
On Monday, Advanced Info Service Plc and True Move informed the Stock Exchange of Thailand that they would not participate in the 900MHz spectrum licence auction organised by the NBTC, previously scheduled for Oct 20.