The National Telecommuni-cations Commission (NTC) has permitted CAT Telecom Plc to transfer to TOT Plc its joint ownership of the 1900-MHz spectrum.

However, TOT has to ask the Information and Communications Technology Ministry and the Finance Ministry to confirm the NTC's decision that the transfer would benefit the country, said TOT's new acting president Somchai Thean-Anant.

TOT asked the NTC if it could take over bandwidth from CAT even though the now-defunct national spectrum-allocation panel had authorised both state agencies to share ownership of the spectrum.

After receiving permission to share it, both jointly set up the cellular operator Thai Mobile to operate service on the spectrum.

TOT is in talks to buy CAT's entire 42-per-cent stake in Thai Mobile and CAT's joint ownership of the spectrum as part of its plan to develop its own 3G broadband cellular service on the spectrum.

CAT has its own broadband cellular service based on the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000 1-x technology.

Recently CAT agreed to mark down the proposed price of its shares in Thai Mobile to Bt2.4 billion from Bt3.5 billion. But the two entities have yet to reach a final agreement on the deal.

Somchai said that his top priority was speeding up the state agency's plan to become both a 3G-network provider and operator.

He said that TOT needed Bt10 billion for project development and that the National Economic and Social Development Board had already approved its 3G spending plan of 2007.

Somchai said he would accelerate the creation of new subsidiaries.

TOT's board yesterday appointed Somchai as acting president effective next month, replacing acting president Chamras Tantreesukhon who steps down on Saturday. TOT is still looking for a new president.

Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation