BAD RECEPTION
The regulator postponed the auction of four satellite orbital slot packages until Aug 28, hoping to entice more bidders.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has rescheduled the auction of four satellite orbital slot packages until Aug 28, giving interested parties a new opportunity to buy a bid envelope until Aug 6.
The rescheduling comes after the NBTC board on Wednesday resolved to postpone the auction originally slated for July 24.
Its decision came after one firm — TC Space Connect, a firm wholly owned by SET-listed satellite service operator Thaicom — participated in the auction.
An NBTC board member said on Wednesday the new auction would take place on Aug 21 but NBTC acting secretary-general, Trairat Viriyasirikul, told media in an official press briefing yesterday that the event will actually be held on Aug 28.
According to the NBTC, it is the duty of the regulator to hold the auction to keep orbital slots for the country under the Master International Frequency Register (MIFR), a database of satellite and terrestrial frequency assignments maintained by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Mr Trairat said the board’s resolution to postpone the auction is meant to pave the way for more competition in the event there is only one contender in the race. The deferral is also meant to ward off concerns about the pandemic.
Bid envelopes will be taken from July 8 to Aug 6 and a public information session held on Aug 9.
The NBTC will allow bidders to submit their bid requests and place a bank guarantee on Aug 11.
The list of bidders qualified through experience and financial capability checks will be announced on Aug 24 while an information session and a mock auction are slated for Aug 25.
Mr Trairat said the NBTC has the authority and obligation to hold the auction of satellite network filing under Section 27 of the NBTC law. The regulator has the authority to determine the methods and conditions of the auction and award licences for the right to use orbital slots.
The orbital slots need to be used for the optimum benefit for the country in line with the constitution, he said.
NBTC management has been preparing the auction step-by-step since 2019 to make sure the orbital slots occupied by Thailand will not be revoked from the MIFR.
The auction, he said, will not affect the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry, which will receive Thaicom 4 and 6 satellites from Thaicom in September this year when the firm’s satellite-operating concession expires.
For the auction, the first package consists of 50.5°East and 51°E slots with a reserve price of 677 million baht; the second is 78.5°E with a reserve price of 366.4 million baht; the third involves 119.5°E and 120°E at 393 million baht; and the last is for 126°E and 142°E for 364.6 million.