NBTC Sets Targets for 4G Auction

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has set targets to revise auction details for the 1800 and 900 megahertz spectrum in January 2015, and to make a new schedule for the auction in July 2015, reports The Bangkok Post.

In June, Thailand’s post-coup ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) suspended two spectrum auctions to provide 4G services for one year.

The NBTC has permitted 25 megahertz of bandwidth on the 1800 MHz spectrum to be used by concessionaires True Move and Digital Phone for their 2G mobile users for an additional year after their concessions expired in September 2014, and the 900MHz band is being used by Advanced Info Service (AIS).

However, there has also been speculation that the NCPO is attempting to restructure the independent NBTC or may want to even dissolve it or place it under the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, which could interfere with the auction plans, reports The Nation.

OpenSignal – a company which specialises in wireless coverage mapping by crowdsourcing data on carrier signal quality from users who have its mobile application installed – has produced a report on the breadth, usage, speed and global rollout of 4G, which can be found here. As with 3G, Thailand’s implementation of 4G is now lagging.