The Thai government is looking to change the terms of DTAC’s operating licence in order to secure an extra 5 MHz of spectrum for its upcoming 4G auction.
The country’s ICT ministry has set up a working group that would enable DTAC, which holds the spectrum under licence from CAT Telecom, to return the unused 5 MHz block without falling foul of the law, the Bangkok Post reported on Wednesday.
Earlier this week the newspaper reported that CAT Telecom’s board had rejected the proposal to hand back the spectrum without any form of compensation, noting that such a move would violate the terms of its concession with DTAC.
But it appears the government is keen to get its hands on the airwaves.
The Bangkok Post said the panel will work on an amendment to the concession and quoted ICT minister Pornchai Rujiprapa as saying that CAT will be ordered to return the spectrum on Wednesday. The plan will be submitted to the cabinet for approval next week.
Earlier this year Thailand firmed up plans to auction off 25 MHz of 1800-MHz spectrum in November.
However, the government believes that adding the extra 5 MHz will "eliminate the inefficiency and waste inherent in the block sizes," the newspaper said.
It added that the government has approved the draft rules for the 1800 MHz auction and is also considering adding 900-MHz spectrum to proceedings, rather than holding a separate auction in December.
