The planned auction for the third-generation (3G) spectrum will definitely take place next week, with no delays, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission announced on Monday.
The move by telecom expert Anuparp Thiralarp threatening legal action against the NBTC came as no surprise. Five legal challenges have been launched against the 3G auction, secretary-general Takorn Tantasit said.
The NBTC plans to auction off bandwidth in the 2100 megahertz band on Oct 16. The three main private mobile operators - Advanced Info Service (AIS), Dtac and True Move - all are expected to bid for the spectrum.
Mr Takorn said the auction procedure was being carried out according to the 2010 Frequency Allocation Act .
"We're now ready to clarify all suspicions about the 3G auction process and regulations," he said.
Mr Takorn said the 3G licensing auction process is legally binding and covers all possible concerns, including service quality standard, technology development and consumer benefit protection.
The information memorandum had passed all of the processes needed under the law, including public consultation.
Mr Takorn said the NBTC will remit the tens of billions of baht to be gained from the sale of the 3G spectrum to the Finance Ministry for public services.
Mr Takorn said five people had launched challenges against the NBTC, calling for a revision of the auction conditions.
A notice of opposition contends that the NBTC must ensure 3G mobile service charges do not exceed 200 baht per month, or the NBTC may face an auction suspension.
Mr Takorn said he expected that 3G services will come with a lower price rate than the existing tariffs because operators will have lower operating costs under a new licensing system.
The 3G operators will be subject to a 2% licence fee on annual revenue, and a 3.75% universal service obligation tax on revenue.