Details on 3G licenses, auction next week

He added, that judging from the scenario, auctions for the four 2.1GHz-3G spectrum licences should take place within this year.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has hired US-based consulting firm Nera to help draw up the process of the auction.

Suranan said Nera would be submitting final details for the auctioning process for NTC's consideration on Monday, and that the commission would disclose its final decision next Wednesday.

The details to be disclosed include the terms and conditions, term of reference of the auction as well as the time frame of the licensing.

Suranan said NTC would also take into account the possible impact the liberalisation of the telecom sector, under the free trade agreements of World Trade Organisation and Asean, would have on the licensing.

The NTC plans to auction four 2.1GH-3G-spectrum licences of which one will have a bandwidth of 15 megahertz, while the rest would be 10MHz.

So far, Advanced Info Service (AIS), Total Access Communication (DTAC), True Move and CAT Telecom have shown interest in bidding for the licences.

AIS chief executive officer Wichian Mektakarn said AIS was interested in bidding for the 15 MHz bandwidth.

The NTC hopes the licences would go on the block within this year, especially since telecom operators have been complaining loudly about its lack of progress in the licensing matter. NTC is also concerned about the auctioning process to be further disrupted if it is delayed much longer.

In addition, three of the existing NTC commissioners will be replaced. The commissioners were voted out of office last year, after three years on the job, in line with the frequency allocation law. The commissioners, namely NTC chairman Choochart Phromprasid, Sethaporn Cusripituck and Rianchai Reowilaisuk, will continue with their respective jobs until they are replaced.

Last Saturday the selection panel had named five final candidates and is expected to announce the sixth candidate on September 13. After that the names will be submitted with the Senate, which will then select the final three.