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Thailand’s telecoms regulator says that it needs more time to refine the terms of its 700MHz spectrum auction
Thailand’s National Broadband and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has opted to postpone the auctioning of 700MHz 5G spectrum, to allow more time to hone the terms of the auction.
"The soonest timeline for the auction date may be August or September," Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, told reporters from the Bangkok Post.
The regulator will now refine the terms of the auction, focussing on maximising coverage in rural areas of the country.
The 700MHz spectrum is currently being used for digital TV services, but the Thai government will reallocate spectrum in the 470-510MHz band for this purpose going forward.
The NBTC will reportedly auction 35MHz of 700MHz spectrum in seven separate 5MHz licences.
Thailand is expected to launch commercial 5G mobile network services in the second half of 2020.
Chinese tech giant Huawei launched a 5G test bed in the Thai city of Chonburi last month, where it intends to showcase a range of cutting edge 5G solutions. The Thai government says that the launch of the test bed is a key opportunity to engage with the Chinese tech giant on 5G network security.
Also in the news:
Korean telcos race to deploy 5G base stations
US 5G spectrum auction generates $1.4bn
Huawei and ZTE look to expand manufacturing operations in India
