A commission member, Sethaporn Cusripituck, said the NTC had decided to allow any telecom operator to conduct trials of the new technology using its existing frequency spectrum.

The decision gives ShinSat, True, and TOT a chance to jump ahead of the pack and try out the new technology, including broadband wireless Internet access by the system called Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, or WiMax.

Sethaporn said ShinSat owns the 3.5-GHz spectrum, True's pay TV operator United Broadcasting Corp Plc the 2.5-GHz spectrum, and TOT the 2.4-GHz spectrum. All can be used to test WiMax. However, they have to seek official permission from the NTC before  any WiMax trials.

ShinSat, UBC, and TOT have owned the spectra for longer than the NTC has been in existence, and have used the frequencies for their business operations.

TOT and the cellular operator Digital Phone Co (DPC) also own the 1900MHz and 1800MHz spectra respectively, and both can be developed to provide 3G (third generation) broadband mobile-phone technology. ShinSat recently asked the licensing body if it could test WiMax on its 3.5GHz spectrum. Both DPC and ShinSat are subsidiaries of Thailand's largest telecom holding firm, Shin Corp.

True wants the WiMax technology to complement its existing Internet access business.

Despite the NTC's agreement to allow testing, telecom operators

are unable to ask for new frequencies just to test the new technology, Sethaporn said.

Many telecom operators have sought the NTC's permission to provide 3G and WiMax services on new frequency spectra, but the NTC has turned them down because there is currently no National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation