Thai Supreme Administrative Court Rejects NTC's Appeal Against 3G Injunction

[IngKJ]

What a backwards country we are living in. By the time they sort this out, Laos and Cambodia will be on 4G. Absolutely zero interest in the wellbeing of the public.

Welcome to Amazing Thailand!

Bureaucracy, greed, corruption and fear always stops progress.

I think we need a foreigner prime minister with full arm body guard to take Thailand out of the stone age.

Wrong, wrong and, again, wrong! Thailand is not a backwards country! It is just looking the other way...

Nobody can stop progress. It is just being channeled through the right pockets, oops!, channels.

This country never had a more charming man for a Prime minister. And a farang educated man...

Thais don't need 3G. The less communication, the better. TOT knows...

The rest is true,- Welcome to Amazing Thailand!!!

Plenty kneejerk response!

I see nothing wrong with the courts rationale, though longing for proper IT connectivity too.

Thailand's charm is also its curse, but never a dull day

[1weatherman]

Last week my TGF went out and got an AIS "3G" air card for her laptop so she could play games online. Cost 2200 baht plus the monthly fee.

I tried to tell her to wait and not buy until this 3G mess was all figured out and that the coverage where she lived was probably not good.

She lives near Nakhon Nayok at CRMA. She calls the next day and tells me "internet very slow." Mai phen rai. Ears that hear advice very slow also.

[Payboy]

What a backwards country we are living in. By the time they sort this out, Laos and Cambodia will be on 4G. Absolutely zero interest in the wellbeing of the public.

Welcome to Amazing Thailand!

Bureaucracy, greed, corruption and fear always stops progress.

I think we need a foreigner prime minister with full arm body guard to take Thailand out of the stone age.

I know just the guy for this job. He is a Montenegro citizen.

[ikwiljou]

In addition to the current and ongoing True 3G trial in BKK and some other areas, TOT and several of its licensees such as I-Mobile also are continuing to offer a pretty decent 3G service in Bangkok. It's just AIS and DTAC customers that will get screwed by this...

That, and, the True 3G trial is on the 850 Mhz band, which not all phones can receive. The TOT service is on the more common 2100 Mhz 3G band... The CAT also was fighting to stop True from offering its 3G trial in past months, but I haven't seen any outcome of that effort... True continues to offer their 3G, as best as I can tell.

Here in ChiangMai but also in Hua Hin and Pattaya 3G from AIS works good.

[TheBarbarian]

No spurprise here. The government says one thing in public and one thing against their cronies. O course this government does want to keep Thailand in the dark ages. 10 years of 3G in Cambodia have shown that the opposition can distribute information much faster, that it is much more difficult to listen in on telephone conversations than on GSM. Abhisit and his boss Suthep are today particularly happy that a criminal coup taker that distributed 2 Billion baht amongst their friends has goven the courts all the powers that ought to belong to the people. If the government would not have wanted this to happen they would have controlled their own employees unless it is incompetent and impotent.

[Estrada]

What a backwards country we are living in. By the time they sort this out, Laos and Cambodia will be on 4G. Absolutely zero interest in the wellbeing of the public.

Welcome to Amazing Thailand!

Bureaucracy, greed, corruption and fear always stops progress.

I think we need a foreigner prime minister with full arm body guard to take Thailand out of the stone age.

we we have a foreigner prime minister now but its not helping much

Yes, but although he was born, raised and educated in England UK, he learnt absolutely nothing !

He's a Geordie born in Newcastle on Tyne. Are you saying "Geordie's lost his liggys" (Lost his marbles)? I think he makes as good a Prime Minister as his Eton School mate Boris Johnson makes as Lord Mayor of London. "On Yer Bike!"

Estrada

[bhakta]

Amazingly backward thinking. I now live in Vietnam after more than a decade in Bangkok. My guess is Saigon is taking over Bangkok is less then 5 years.

Already now there is free internet everywhere - and its fast - I see more I-Phones daily than I ever saw in Bangkok, not # 3 but the newest #4 and 3G is launched as well, but does need some adjustment to work effectively.

Thailand is once again showing their incredibly special sense of "logic"... :-)

Look a one party system is wonderful because they can implement things very quickly and they do not need funds for election campaigns on a regular basis. Do away with so-called "demo-crazy", take the money out of the hands of the few super rich and super big families, then Thailand can follow Vietnam nicely.

[corkman]

Can anyone explain to me, in no BS terms, what exactly the problem is with 3G?

No doubt there is someone who stands to loose a market share or something..... but what is the official "excuse"? We feel that 3G shoudl be blocked because..................................???

[Lammbock]

[selftaopath]

ChiangMaiThai' Absolutely zero interest in the wellbeing of the public.

I believe that is true of EVERY rich Thai individual, rich Thai family, powerful individual, and powerful organization barring NONE. Land of Scams is increasingly showing the world it's backward thinking and corrupt self serving behavior. Soon it will be likened to places like Burma and well behind neighboring communist countries. I usually think the Thai people deserve better but then I think of the adage: What we allow we condone. I doubt seriously the true "red shirts" who do not necessarily idolize T.S. will want to forge ahead with their struggle. Only when something reaches its peak will it turn in the other direction (from natural or man made forces).

[bkk75]

Can anyone explain to me, in no BS terms, what exactly the problem is with 3G?

No doubt there is someone who stands to loose a market share or something..... but what is the official "excuse"? We feel that 3G shoudl be blocked because..................................???

I can sum it up to you in one simple word.

GREED..

As I understand it, the old operators will lose a ton of revenue if True, AIS, DTAC gets their 3G licensing because of the current 850/900mzh. TOT/CAT owns them so if the big 3 can move to 2100MHZ they no longer need to pay royalties to the old dogs.

So TOT/CAT's complaint is that the auction is illegal and will force them into financial troubles..blah blah..

I think that pretty much sums it up.

[Zolt]

At this rate, we might as well skip 3G entirely and get started on 4G 5G right away.

The appalling thing is that although there is a strong will by the government and the PM to get things done quickly on 3G, they are absolutely powerless do go against the court decision. All too often Thailand ends up being ruled by judges - whose character is even more shady than politicians, if such a thing is possible.

What's perfectly within the PM's prerogatives on the other hand, is to round up all the executives of TOT and CAT, lay off their incompetent asses, and hasten the privatization.

[julemanden]

What a backwards country we are living in. By the time they sort this out, Laos and Cambodia will be on 4G. Absolutely zero interest in the wellbeing of the public.

Welcome to Amazing Thailand!

Bureaucracy, greed, corruption and fear always stops progress.

I think we need a foreigner prime minister with full arm body guard to take Thailand out of the stone age.

Very much so.... It is Amazing Thailand

[julemanden]

Can anyone explain to me, in no BS terms, what exactly the problem is with 3G?

No doubt there is someone who stands to loose a market share or something..... but what is the official "excuse"? We feel that 3G shoudl be blocked because..................................???

I can sum it up to you in one simple word.

GREED..

As I understand it, the old operators will lose a ton of revenue if True, AIS, DTAC gets their 3G licensing because of the current 850/900mzh. TOT/CAT owns them so if the big 3 can move to 2100MHZ they no longer need to pay royalties to the old dogs.

So TOT/CAT's complaint is that the auction is illegal and will force them into financial troubles..blah blah..

I think that pretty much sums it up.

I think your nailed it

[bdenner]

Whether we Farang think it’s right/wrong or indifferent it’s not our place to argue against the findings of two Thai courts. There is something in the way this affair is being handled which goes against Thai Law. We don’t have to understand but just live with it, personally I’ve got other things to worry about.

[Soi Sauce]

Back to the stone-age. Mai pen rai.

[jybkk]

I can see several reasons for the slow roll out of mobile data in this country. One of them is that the land line based ISP's can't deliver as fast connections as 3G can

Actually, Cambodia and Laos got 3G quite early for this exact same reason: their land line network was so bad that they decided to mostly skip ADSL installations and deployed 3G in the country instead.

Those who are doing everything they can to stop this 3G auction are the Public Companies (CAT) because they will loose a lot of customers once these 3G licenses are given.

Past governments (regardless of political orientation) built an intricate system of legislations, licenses, concession rules and whatever, probably with the idea that it will prevent foreign take-over on telecoms in Thailand.

The problem is that now, they buried themselves in those regulations and not even Thai companies can make a move without being blocked by potential competitors for various legal technicalities.

I'm not even sure corruption has to be blamed in this case. I'd rather say it comes from some very common Thai business practices: protectionism obsession and short-term vision.

[SamritT]

The law is the law. All laws are fair and just. Please do not twist the law for personal gain. Remember what Thaksin did?

[jimreindeer]

really laughable....why so difficult?????

[LTGTR]

Court Rules NTC Does Not Have Authority to Auction 3G

The Supreme Administrtive Court has ruled, standing by an earlier decision by the Administrtive Court that the National Telecommunications Commission or NTC does not have the authority to auction off 3G licensing.

-- Tan Network 2010-09-23

"The Supreme Administrative Court added that the country's development would not be disrupted without 3G or third generation wireless data service".

Now that's what call a forward thinking Supreme Court!

LOL at them!

[hanuman1]

"The Supreme Administrative Court added that the country's development would not be disrupted without 3G or third generation wireless data service".

Now that's what call a forward thinking Supreme Court!

LOL at them!

It makes perfect sense if you equate disruption with 'change' or 'improvement' as many people in Thailand do, foreigners and Thais alike.

Edited September 23, 2010 by hanuman1

[apetley]

Whether we Farang think it’s right/wrong or indifferent it’s not our place to argue against the findings of two Thai courts. There is something in the way this affair is being handled which goes against Thai Law. We don’t have to understand but just live with it, personally I’ve got other things to worry about.

I don't think that many people are arguing against the courts ruling, rather they are railing against the vested interests, corruption and plain ineptitude that has allowed this fiasco to happen and sadly continue for some time.

[webfact]

Court’s final verdict puts brake on 3G license auction

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The Supreme Administrative Court has upheld the Central Administrative Court verdict to have the 3G license auction suspended until the case has been finalized.

The Supreme Administrative Court on Thursday morning turned down the National Telecommunication Commission’s (NTC) appeal which hoped for a reversed order, giving the reason that the directions which the NTC has set to allocate frequencies for the 3G services are unlawful as the 3G license bidding was not organized according to legal procedure. The court deems the unavailability of the 3G mobile service is not an obstruction to the existing technological activities as the planned service in the early phase would serve only a limited area, not the whole country.

The 3G license bidding was ordered suspended by the Central Administrative Court after CAT Telecom had filed a petition against the auction organizer, the NTC. The court ruled that the NTC had no authority to run the auction ,and that the right belongs to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) which was yet to be formed.

The NTC will meet to discuss about the latest court’s injunction before holding a press conference this afternoon.

-- NNT 2010-09-23

[Fore Man]

My two baht's worth. While I would dearly love to have access to 3G and the abilities it brings to advanced telecommunications, enabling devices like iPads and smart phones, I have to agree that most Thai citizens have no need of it. I asked my 26-year old Thai stepdaughter why she is so eager to lay hands on an iPhone4. I asked her if she understood what abilities that phone would give her and if she truly required those capabilities. To which she replied to me: "Loong, I want one; all my friends want one, and that is good enough for me". She will never harness 10% of a smart phone's capabilities...and doesn;t quite understand yet what that harnessing will cost her every month...but she 'wants one'. And this is coming from an MBA holder who holds a solid job as a commercial loan officer with a major Thai bank.

What my stepdaughter relishes so much is what every other techno-brand name- conscious young Thai in this Kingdom also relishes. They have no idea what 3G will deliver, but because it is new and sexy and desireable, they have to have it and will bankrupt themselves to get it, shelling out a month's wages to acquire it and a goodly amount to sustain it. In this sense, the Thai Supreme Court has it right...people need to be fearful of their dreams...they might actually come true.

[webfact]

AIS's chief executive Wichien Mektrakarn: The court ruling on 3G won't affect AIS. It's just a waste of time. /RT @tukky_nt /Thairath Online

[tartempion]

The court ruled that the NTC had no authority to run the auction ,and that the right belongs to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) which was yet to be formed.

This reminds me late last century when the formation of the NTC was delayed and delayed and delayed again.

Thaialnd agreed to comply with WTO to deregulate telecoms by first Jan 2000, but was somewhat late to vote the NTC commitee members, took them near 10 years, then all was late to comply with WTO, solly solly.

Now Thailand will be solly again, for the same reasons so well explained in this tread (protect CAT and TOT shareholders)

[Scandalous]

Also can own land in your own name and after 5 years residence in Cambodia you have the rights of citizenship too. (passport & local id included)

Cambodia is looking better all the time. Better exchange rate on the U.S. Dollar, I can start and own 100% my own business, and much better technology in regards to internet and phone service, not to mention much less restrictions on visas, i.e. no 90 day reporting, etc. And whether you like Hun Sin or not, at least they have a more stable government than Thailand.

[Puccini]

The Supreme Administrative Court added that the country's development would not be disrupted without 3G or third generation wireless data service.

It's funny, but this is true. There was a news story the other day reporting that exports are up 30%. The countries foreign reserves are increasing. The Baht is getting stronger. It seems that nothing can stop the rapid economic development of Thailand, not terrorism, not run-away corruption, not stone-age telecommunications infrastructure, etc.

[Murf]

My two baht's worth. While I would dearly love to have access to 3G and the abilities it brings to advanced telecommunications, enabling devices like iPads and smart phones, I have to agree that most Thai citizens have no need of it. I asked my 26-year old Thai stepdaughter why she is so eager to lay hands on an iPhone4. I asked her if she understood what abilities that phone would give her and if she truly required those capabilities. To which she replied to me: "Loong, I want one; all my friends want one, and that is good enough for me". She will never harness 10% of a smart phone's capabilities...and doesn;t quite understand yet what that harnessing will cost her every month...but she 'wants one'. And this is coming from an MBA holder who holds a solid job as a commercial loan officer with a major Thai bank.

What my stepdaughter relishes so much is what every other techno-brand name- conscious young Thai in this Kingdom also relishes. They have no idea what 3G will deliver, but because it is new and sexy and desireable, they have to have it and will bankrupt themselves to get it, shelling out a month's wages to acquire it and a goodly amount to sustain it. In this sense, the Thai Supreme Court has it right...people need to be fearful of their dreams...they might actually come true.

That's spot on. But it shouldn't be a reason why 3G is taking so long...

[Canada]

Also can own land in your own name and after 5 years residence in Cambodia you have the rights of citizenship too. (passport & local id included)

Cambodia is looking better all the time. Better exchange rate on the U.S. Dollar, I can start and own 100% my own business, and much better technology in regards to internet and phone service, not to mention much less restrictions on visas, i.e. no 90 day reporting, etc. And whether you like Hun Sin or not, at least they have a more stable government than Thailand.

really???