Bangkok--25 Dec--Aziam Burson-Marsteller
Three major mobile operators – AIS, dtac, and TrueMoveH - have jointly announced their support and readiness to participate in the 4G spectrum auction in 2015, in accordance with the government’s policy agenda to drive the Digital Economy. AIS believes that Thailand requires telecom infrastructure to support the development of new technologies and trends. dtac reiterates that 4G would enable the industry sector and provide high speed internet and mobile communications access to both urban and rural Thailand. TrueMoveH views 4G as a key engine to drive the country’s economy and improve telecom infrastructure as a preparation to bring Thailand to regional level and become the hub of AEC.
The 3 operators share the same sentiment on the 2015 auction as follows:
The auction is the best mechanism for allocating spectrum resources.
In order to provide high-quality data services and meet the increasing demand for spectrum, the auction in 2015 should include all vacant and unused spectrum, which, in addition to 900 MHz and 1800 MHz, includes the unused 25 MHz in 1800 MHz that will be returned by dtac.
4G requires upper 1800 MHz band as well as lower 850 MHz and 900 MHz bands to provide mobile broadband services and maximize the benefit of the country’s spectrum resources.
All spectrum in auction should be sold in blocks of 2x5 or 2x10 MHz, as these blocks sizes are technically required to run high speed data services.
Somchai Lertsuttiwong, Chief Executive Officer ,Advanced Info Service PLC or AIS said, “This is a great pleasure that government and The National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) make all Thais happy with 4G auction for 1800 MHz and 900 MHz in the year 2015. This auction supports and responses to government’s policy on Digital Economy as it enhance a development of Telecom Infrastructure. So, Thailand and all Thais will gain this benefit, including a high volume of employment and income creations due to investment expansion to all industries. A clearly example on this point can refer to the great amount of money earning from this auction. Plus, this auction also builds a good image for Thailand as having fundamental communication equal to international.
“AIS is ready to participate in this 4G auction as we see how Thailand is growing as equal as international. Considering the high volume of data usage, and the spectrum we are having, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, and 1800 MHz, and going to allocate by this coming auction, it means we can utilize the spectrum for growing the country’s economy. Simultaneously, for Digital Economy, we need Telecom Infrastructure to support the development of new Technologies and Trends, for example, Cloud, a working system that connect to the Internet and able to automatically upgrading itself, website or server is processed at this stage which the system will divide CPU and Memory as per capacity of work and clearly separate this resource from other users, it also includes Firewall to protect user’s system from others. Software as a Service (SaaS), another pattern of software providing through the Internet, allows users from all over the world to access the data, both software and hardware, through the Internet. Thus, in the future, not limited to office station, we can work from anywhere we prefer only accessing to the Internet. Internet of Things is playing a major role in our daily life as it connects devices online to our mobiles or computers, such as, house equipment, air-conditioner, television signal, and car alarm, etc,” said Somchai.
Mr. Suphachai Chearavanont, President & CEO, True Corporation Plc said, “It is a great pleasure to see that both the government and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) have shown a strong commitment to propel Thailand into the 4G era. It is therefore necessary to urgently allocate the national resource frequencies of 1,800 MHz and 900 MHz for effective use. Frequency planning and refarming for the best usage is crucial for the country's development. Like the hi-speed railway system, telecommunications such as mobile broadband is the infrastructure of the digital age. It also helps the government to drive its digital economy policies in terms of information and communications technology (ICT) adoption to stimulate economic growth and elevate telecommunication infrastructures. Implementing an auction only approach is not in the best interest of Thai consumers as it puts a burden on network and technology investment, passes on more costs to the Thai public, and delays investment in new technologies and rolling out new networks. However, all frequencies should be allocated in 5 MHz and 10 MHz slots since these are the most effective in frequency utilization."
Sigve Brekke, Interim Chief Executive Officer, Total Access Communication PLC or dtacsaid, “The number of data users and data usage in Thailand will continue to grow, as smartphone penetration is expected to nearly double from 35% in 2014 to 61% in 2017. As a result, mobile data consumption is expected to roughly double every year for the next few years. To serve this rapidly growing data demand, it is critical to unlock significantly more spectrum. The solution we propose today is to help meet this demand and maximize the benefits to consumers, government, and the society as a whole. By auctioning in 2015 vacant and unused spectrum as well as lower bands – 850 MHz and 900 MHz – the government enables the industry to provide high speed internet and mobile communications access to both urban and rural Thailand.”
“dtac has made clear its stance in supporting the government’s digital economy policy to develop a sustainable economic growth. The government’s main mission is to unlock social and economic potential through access, connectivity, and digitization of services/content, enable dynamic ecosystems for innovation, and achieve 80% active Internet users by 2017. Thailand has a vision to become a digital frontrunner in ASEAN and provide mobile internet services at fair and competitive prices for consumers. To achieve such an important goal, Thailand must have an efficient spectrum management as well as allocation that ensures proper use of each spectrum band, which is a key infrastructure enabler of access to digital services and content,” said Sigve.
The preparation for 4G auction for 1800 MHz and 900 MHz was catalyzed by General Prayuth Chan-ocha, Prime Minister and the Leader of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), who reiterated that the 4G auction committee is being formed under the two new bills going through The National Legislative Assembly (NLA). Being driven in parallel is the reinstructing of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to the Ministry of Digital Economy
As a result, the 3 operators – AIS, dtac, and TrueMoveH - have jointly announced and confirmed their commitment to participate in the 4G spectrum auction in 2015, which is a critical step in driving the digital economy.
The auction should be for all the spectrums - both for the vacant and unused spectrum- not only the 900MHz and 1800MHz that are already part of the allocation plan. The 25MHz of the 1800MHz which is unused spectrum right now should be put on auction also. For maximum efficiency, the 850MHz and 900MHz should be used in the telecommunication industry. The spectrum should be in the range of 2x5 or 2x10MHz, which is more suitable technically.