News
Telco watchdog reportedly sets reserve price at Jas Mobile’s winning bid.
Thailand on Thursday set 24 June as the date for re-auctioning the 900-MHz 4G spectrum licence that was recently forfeited by Jas Mobile.
The Bangkok Post reports that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has set a reserve price of 75.65 billion baht (€1.93 billion), the same as the winning bid lodged by Jas Mobile when the licence was first auctioned in December.
The regulator has set a deposit of 5% of the reserve price, or THB3.78 billion (€94.6 million). That compares to THB644 million in the previous auction.
Thailand’s 4G licensing process was thrown into disarray earlier this month when Jas Mobile, which won one of two 4G licences up for grabs in December, failed to pay for the spectrum by the 21 March deadline.
Unsurprisingly, Jas Mobile is banned from participating in the new auction, according to the Bangkok Post.
If only one bidder emerges, it will win the spectrum provided it meets the reserve price. If no bidders come forward, the NBTC will postpone the re-auction for 12 months.
To mitigate the chance of another default, the winner will lose its deposit and be fined THB11.35 billion if it fails to pay for the spectrum.
