CONSUMER-RIGHTS ADVOCATE Rosana Tositrakul receives flowers from supporters at the National Telecommunication Commission.She was part of a group asking the commission to revoke or suspend Shin Corp's mobile and satellite concessions because i was taken ov

After receiving the request yesterday, Sudharman Yoonaidharma, a member of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), said the regulator would respond to the appeal within seven days.

NTC chairman Choochart Promphrasid said the body had to examine the request carefully – as it could face a lawsuit from Shin group if it overstepped its powers.

The confederation and its allies want the NTC to exercise the Telecom Law to revoke or suspend Shin’s mobile and satellite concessions because they are national assets that should not be controlled by foreign investors.

The move follows the takeover of Shin by Singapore’s state investment arm Temasek Holdings and local nominees last month.

Shin’s businesses include the mobile-service operator Advanced Info Service Plc (AIS) and the satellite business Shin Satellite Plc.

The confederation also wants the NTC to examine Shin’s concession-fee payment records before and after the takeover, and for the regulator to order Shin to submit all details of the deal to the NTC for examination.

Choochart said that the NTC had not ignored the takeover of the local telecom operators by foreign telecom giants or investors but had already set up a panel to examine the impacts on the Thai market.

The panel is examining the Shin-Temasek deal and the takeover of United Communication Industry by its Norway’s strategic partner, Telenor, last November.

Shin’s share price closed at Bt47.75 yesterday, down from Bt48, while that of AIS remained unchanged at Bt94. ShinSat shares closed at Bt12.80, down from Bt13.20.

Telecom Reporters

The Nation