The government insists the fourth-generation (4G) spectrum auctions will take place before September in order to accelerate development of Thailand's digital economy.
This is despite the national telecom regulator insisting it will be December at the earliest.
"It will definitely occur before September. Postponement is not necessary," Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula told a seminar entitled "SME Development and the Digital-Driven Economy" hosted by Post Today newspaper in Bangkok Thursday.
He said a decision on the planned 4G auctions would be made in mid-March, and it would take four months to complete the process.
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No obstacles to the 4G spectrum have been perceived, and if the plan receives media support, then the spectrum will materialise since media support reflects the desires of the general public, MR Pridiyathorn said.
Above: Deputy PM and economy czar MR Pridiyathorn Devakul: 4G auction "no later than August". Below: ACM Thares Punsri, chairman of the NBTC: "Maybe by December. Maybe".
The matter is now being considered by a selection committee that was recently granted cabinet approval to find suitable members for the National Digital Economy Committee.
"Once the [National Digital Economy] committee is established, the selection committee will be dissolved," MR Pridiyathorn said.
He said the responsibilities and work of the selection committee would be inherited by the new committee.
The National Digital Economy Committee will assess the planned 4G auctions and could give the green light for the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to oversee the process, MR Pridiyathorn said, adding that the 4G auctions would not need a new law to be passed in order to proceed.
The first meeting of the committee should be held within the next two weeks, given that cabinet approval has already been announced in the Royal Gazette.
The National Digital Economy Committee will be chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha with about 20 members from the public and private sectors.
"The NBTC has the authority to manage the process, and we're not going to override the NBTC's power like many have been speculating," MR Pridiyathorn said.
Also Thursday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha insisted he wanted the 4G auctions to take place this year, although it would depend on when digital- and computer-related bills came into law.
"I want them to be held as soon as possible. I want them this year because that's what everyone wants," he said.
"But we must consider whether the law will allow it. We'll proceed if we can. All mechanisms must function in parallel. All parties must help one another."
The NBTC recently asserted the 4G-spectrum auctions would have to be postponed until this December at the soonest due to delays in forming the National Digital Economy Committee.
A major obstacle is the recent approval of the 10 draft digital economy bills including one for the committee's establishment.
The proposed bills have fostered controversy. They are a cyber package meant to accelerate development of the digital economy but at the same time would allow the government to scrutinise private information and conversations of Thai citizens without consent.
The NBTC earlier announced it intended to auction the 42.5-megahertz spectrum by this August since the mobile concession for the 900-MHz spectrum held by Advanced Info Service Plc will expire on Sept 30.
The regulator's intention is in line with the military junta's order last July 17 postponing the planned 4G auctions for a year, meaning the NBTC could start the auction preparation process as soon as this July.
The NBTC warned the suspension could result in 100 billion baht in investment losses plus another 50 billion in lost revenue from the auctions that the regulator would send to state coffers.