The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission's (NBTC) subcommittee for satellite business on Tuesday reached a preliminary conclusion to allocate the unsold satellite orbit slots through the beauty contest method.
The method will award the slots to the winning bidders based on their readiness and qualifications as well as their proposed benefits to the state.
Interested bidders would be required to pay only the reserve price of their targeted slots as a minimum payment to the state.
The subcommittee agreed to pass the existing reserve prices of the two unsold slots to the regulator's subcommittee for price competition to see whether the prices should be reviewed for a more reasonable price or not.
According to a source from the NBTC board who requested anonymity, the NBTC plans to allocate the two unsold packages of orbital slots by the end of this year, comprising the first package of 50.5° East and 51°E orbital slots, and the fifth package comprising the 142°E slot. They were unsold from the auction which was held on Jan 15.
On Jan 15, the NBTC held the country's first auction for the use of satellite orbit slots via five packages: 50.5° East and 51°E orbital slots, with a starting price of 374 million baht; 78.5°E, with a reserve price of 360 million baht; 119.5°E and 120°E, with a 397-million-baht reserve price; 126°E, with an 8.6-million-baht reserve price; and 142°E, with a 189-million-baht reserve price.
Space Tech Innovation, an affiliate of SET-listed Thaicom, won the second package at 380 million baht and the third package at 417 million baht. State-owned telecom enterprise National Telecom (NT) won the fourth package at 9.07 million baht.
"The subcommittee for satellite business insists on the reserve prices of the two unsold packages or 374 million for the first package and 189 million baht for the fifth package," the source said.
Previously, all stakeholders of the satellite business and public affairs supported the allocation of the unsold satellite orbit slots via any method other than auction. A recent NBTC-focused group meeting agreed on several alternatives for the allocation. The NBTC board has also agreed in principle to study the resolution and assigned its management to begin the hearing process for the resolution.
The source said the NBTC's subcommittee will prepare for the public hearing on the beauty contest method even before seeking the NBTC's board approval on its preliminary conclusion. The hearing is expected to be held by the third quarter.
The NBTC management plans to allocate the two unsold slots by this year to prevent a risk that such unused slots will be cancelled according to Master International Frequency Register.