The board of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) on Tuesday ordered its management to schedule another public hearing within seven days for a plan to auction six mobile spectrum bands, aiming to ensure meaningful competition and public interest.
The hearing includes the NBTC's plan to auction the 3500-megahertz band.
According to NBTC chairman Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck, the hearing will cover several auction conditions, including a grouping of the six spectrum bands to ensure meaningful competition among bidders and create a clear framework for each round of the auction.
The hearing will include terms of licence payment.
The NBTC board in January approved a draft for a planned auction of six spectrum bands: the low band of 850MHz, middle bands of 1500, 1800, 2100 and 2300MHz, and the high band of 26GHz. The auction was originally slated for early May.
AM Thanapant Raicharoen, an NBTC commissioner, said an earlier draft proposed dividing the auction into three sessions, starting with the low band, followed by the middle bands and the high band.
Officials on March 12 proposed to the board all the bands be auctioned together in one session.
However, board members expressed concern that this could lead to collusion, and sent NBTC management back to the drawing board.
AM Thanapant added that the planned auction should have all related conditions to ensure consumers benefit.
The NBTC board on Tuesday also agreed to put the 3500MHz into the hearing, including the topic of whether the NBTC should add the mobile spectrum range of 3300-3400 MHz or a part of the 3500MHz range to the auction plan of the six mobile spectrum bands.
Currently a part of the 3500MHz range is being used by digital TV operators to air programmes through C- band satellite dishes and 60% of Thais view digital TV programmes via the satellite platform.
All digital TV licences will expire in 2029.
Earlier, Somphop Purivigraipong, another NBTC commissioner, said the auction of the six mobile spectrum bands must be held before the August expiry date of the 850, 2100 and 2300MHz bands now being used under partnership agreements between state-owned National Telecom and private sector operators.
Previously, he said the 3300-3700MHz band had been initially set to be auctioned for telecom use in 2027. The 3700-4200MHz band is set to be auctioned in 2029.