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Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha invoked Article 44 of the
constitution on Thursday. It is an executive order that allows
the junta to push through policy, citing intense competition
affecting operators' ability to pay for 900-megahertz (Mhz)
license, and therefore, was necessary to amend the payment
period.
The order would benefit telco operators such as Advanced Info
Service Pcl (AIS), True Corp and Total Access Communication Pcl,
which is owned by Norway's Telenor.
The changes in the payment period could help draw future bids
for the 700 Mhz and 2600 Mhz auctions and pave way for 5G
technology, the statement said.
The 5G technology, which can provide data speeds at least 20
times faster than 4G, is seen as essential for emerging
technologies from self-driving cars and smart cities to
augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
The spectrum regulator, the National Broadcasting and
Telecommunication Commission (NBTC), previously said it plans to
hold a 700-Mhz spectrum auction in December.
"Details of the payment extension will be available on April
17," NBTC Secretary-General Takorn Tantasith told reporters.
Operators may notify the NBTC within 30 days, and have payments
be divided into 10 equal installments over 10 years beginning
2020, the statement said.
In November, Total Access won one spectrum license for 38
billion baht ($1.20 billion).
True Corp and AIS, 23 percent owned by SingTel, won their
licenses in 2016 for about $2 billion each and have since made
partial payments.
(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat,
Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
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