Two companies bought bidding envelopes for the auction of two packages of satellite orbital slot rights: 50.5° East and 142°E.
The companies are TC Space, a subsidiary of SET-listed Thaicom, and Prompt Technology, according to a source at the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) who requested anonymity.
A telecom veteran who requested anonymity said the industry is monitoring whether these two will submit the bid documents to the NBTC by the deadline of July 23.
The NBTC source said the regulator officially set a timeline for the auction.
Interested companies can purchase bid envelopes from June 4-25. The submission deadline for the bid documents is July 23, with the regulator announcing qualified bidders on Aug 13.
A mock auction is slated for Aug 21, three days ahead of the planned auction on Aug 24.
The two slot packages were unsold from the previous licence auction in 2023 for the right to use satellite orbits.
Last year, the NBTC held the country's first auction of the use of satellite orbit slots, offering five packages: 50.5°E 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 reserve price of 397 million baht; 126°E with a reserve price of 8.6 million baht; and 142°E with a reserve price of 189 million baht.
Space Tech Innovation, a Thaicom affiliate, won the second package for 380 million baht and the third for 417 million baht. National Telecom bagged the fourth package for 9.07 million baht.
The NBTC board on May 13 approved the amended draft of the auction conditions for the two unsold slots.
The amended draft to handle the unsold orbits is to prevent their possible cancellation by the International Telecommunications Union.
The draft adjusted several conditions, including expanding the timeline for winning bidders to launch satellites to within five years after obtaining the licences, rising from three years.
The amendment also reduced the starting bid prices.
However, several NBTC commissioners expressed concerns over a possible bid failure as the number of prospective bidders may be less than is required by the auction conditions.
According to the new conditions, if only one company submits a bid document, the regulator will extend the auction timeline to Sept 21 to give more time to interested companies to buy bid envelopes.
WAITING ON THE BOARD
Earlier Thaicom chief executive Patompob Suwansiri said the company was exploring opportunities in space economy business development for both geostationary satellites and low Earth orbit satellites.
He said the company's board would hold a meeting on the planned auction of the orbital slots and expects to make a final decision by mid-August.
"We have to consider and balance the risks, the investment portfolio for the long term and business opportunities," Mr Patompob said.