NBTC scraps May date for 700MHz auction

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) board has opted to postpone the planned 700MHz auction from May to August/September, as it needs more time to complete the auction procedures, The Bangkok Post writes. Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the NBTC, said that the draft for the spectrum recall, the compensation procedure and the auction conditions is expected to go into effect in April, with all related conditions (including reserve price for the blocks) to be finalised by May. The 700MHz band is currently occupied by digital TV operators, which will be migrated to the 470MHz-510MHz band, thus freeing the 700MHz airwaves for 5G adoption in late 2020. The regulator will tender seven slots of 5MHz each, with 20-year validity. Winning bidders will have to pay the first instalment in the first year (20% of the winning price), with the remaining nine instalments (at 10% each) due from the third year onwards.