Will Consumers Be The Winners Once The 3G Dust Settles?: Thai Editorial

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

Will consumers be the winners once the 3G dust settles?

The Nation

The telecom regulator must ensure that winning bidders provide wide-ranging service at a fair price

BANGKOK: -- A complete absence of suspense surrounds the auction of 2.1-gigahertz spectrum slots next Tuesday, despite eager anticipation of the 3G service it will bring.

Although the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) auction has yet to take place, the outcome has been easy to predict for a couple of weeks. The country's "big three" service providers are almost certain to run out winners amid a lack of competitive bidding.

The NBTC will call for bids on nine slots of the 2.1GHz spectrum, each containing 5MHz of bandwidth. Each bidder can clinch a maximum of three slots.

The allocation of the slots and the number of potential bidders make the outcome a foregone conclusion. Chances are that the three pre-qualified bidders - DTAC Network, Advanced Info Service's Advanced Wireless Network and TrueCorp's Real Future - will grab three slots each.

The starting bid is set at Bt4.5 billion per slot, and the winning bids are unlikely to be pushed up much higher given the lack of competition.

The allocation process prompted telecoms guru Anupap Tiralap to file a petition with the Central Administrative Court for a temporary injunction against the auction. As of press time, the court had not yet announced whether it would order a temporary halt to the bidding process.

Most consumers will be hoping there are no further delays on the road to 3G. Thailand is already lagging far behind economic rivals, who have been capitalising on the new technology for months or even years already.

The NBTC claims its method of allocating spectrum slots is the best way of ensuring fairness for all players. This is despite the fact that the scant competition will result in less revenue from the auction for the government.

The NBTC has said that the size of the winning bids is not a major concern. In this way, it is hoped that the winning companies will not be able to cite the bidding costs as a reason to raise their service fees.

In the interest of consumers, the 3G auction should go ahead as planned. Businesses and ordinary citizens have faced a long wait to upgrade the speed and efficiency of their Internet connection. A couple of legal cases surrounding the auction present hurdles, but these should soon be cleared, giving Thailand a free run at 3G Internet.

The NBTC's duties won't be over once the bidding is completed. It must then protect consumers' best interests.

First, the operators must charge a fair service fee that reflects the fact that their bids were not forced up by fierce competition. In other words, the operators should have no convincing reason for setting high fees.

In addition, the 3G service should extend to a majority of the population. The operators have no excuse for providing bad signals, given recent tests of the technology. They should also keep in mind that Article 47 of the Constitution states that the spectrum is to be allocated in the interest of consumers. As part of the tender's terms and conditions, winners of 10MHz of bandwidth or more must provide network coverage to 50 per cent of the population within two years, and to 80 per cent within four years.

Thais should not have to wait any longer to reap the benefits of 3G. The new technology has the power to deliver fresh opportunities, convenience and speed of communication for all of us. The challenges for the NBTC are to ensure fair play among the service providers so that it's the consumers who wind up the eventual winners after the auction.

-- The Nation 2012-10-12

[jerrysteve]

While the dust settles on 3G is Thailand, the rest of the western world is on 4G with 5G already on the horizon.

Thailand with it corrpution, with is lack of decisive decision making will always be way behind the curve.

[fareastguy]

Suthiphon said he told the court that according to an estimate by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)'s cancellation of the 2.1GHz spectrum auction two years ago caused an economic loss of Bt153.9 billion, or Bt210 million per day, over the past two years. If this NBTC spectrum auction is delayed and the whole auction preparation process has to be restarted, which will take about eight months to finish, the economic loss would amount to Bt51.3 billion during these eight months, he said.

So they can't wait a short while all the fine details are put in the rule book before the end provider makes their bid for the operating licence.

But the consumer can wait to have the service network in their area between 2 & 4 years, and even that's only up to 80% of the population..

I can see all the major cities getting the service then the excuses will start rolling out why the rest will have to suffer without coverage, as it's too expensive to install services.

I can smell another scam coming !!

[ezflip]

Skip the 3G bidding and go directly to the 4G (LTE) bidding process. It's not like they have to wait for the 4G technology to be created and implemented...just purchase and install.

By the time they've done with that, 5G (or whatever it will be called) will be used elsewhere.

[moe666]

heheh Companies do nothing to make the consumer a winner only profits for them, which is fine as they take the risk.

[rubl]

Will Consumers Be The Winners Once The 3G Dust Settles?

In 2012 2013 2014 ... ...

[driedmango]

I wouldn't complain, Canada the average cell phone bill is not $80 a month. We have 3 carriers that are all in bed with each other, even the cool small providers got bought up.

You would be shocked at the prices of cell in Canada.

[Om85]

While the tellecomunications in this country continue to be the monopolly of a few powerful families and clans, the winners will always be those families and those clans , not the consumers, IMHO .

[Tywais]

Skip the 3G bidding and go directly to the 4G (LTE) bidding process. It's not like they have to wait for the 4G technology to be created and implemented...just purchase and install.

By the time they've done with that, 5G (or whatever it will be called) will be used elsewhere.

I was curious as to what countries have 4G and this is the map.

Worldtimezones

[jbrain]

Skip the 3G bidding and go directly to the 4G (LTE) bidding process. It's not like they have to wait for the 4G technology to be created and implemented...just purchase and install.

By the time they've done with that, 5G (or whatever it will be called) will be used elsewhere.

You mean as in, cancel the long overdue 3G auction, and leave customers a few year longer in the Technical middle ages untill the by then long overdue 4G auction can start, then repeat from step one to go directly to 5G?

What are the odds that this 3G auction will be cancelled once again at the last minute due to legal issues?

[konfuzed]

wonder if with the higher bills we will finally get subsidised handsets on long term contracts?

[drdoom6996]

Consumers winners in Thailand????????????????????? Fat chance of that.

[hellodolly]

The consumers are the big losers. All this will do is further delay catching up to the rest of the world. Some place along the line investors are going to start looking at the inability of Thailand to keep up to the rest of the world in communications. Especially since they don't have to think it has all been done for them. Thailand has no ligtament reason for being that far behind the rest of the world.

[jaltsc]

Wow!!! Thailand's version of "Back To The Future".

[richusa]

Thai corruption will always prevail !! the heck with the working class. If Thaskin was in power we would be already on 4G last year...looking into the future.. !!

[ezflip]

Skip the 3G bidding and go directly to the 4G (LTE) bidding process. It's not like they have to wait for the 4G technology to be created and implemented...just purchase and install.

By the time they've done with that, 5G (or whatever it will be called) will be used elsewhere.

I was curious as to what countries have 4G and this is the map.

Worldtimezones

Ask and you shall receive...

In short, red is LTE(4G) 'established', dark blue is 'in deployment' and light blue is 'Trial'

http://en.wikipedia...._Map.svg&page=1

Strangely enough, wikipedia has Truemove listed as having 4G !?!?!?! Must be a copy 4G. (shhhhh...don't tell Lady Gaga this. She may want to come back)

[LuckyLew]

The is no chance consumers will be the winner

companies like TRUE do not give two shites about customers

There goal is to charge as much as possible while giving as

little service as possible

Buy an IPHONE or IPAD in Canada or the USA and you get

a huge discount if you sign a contract with the service provider.

No chance this will ever happen here

[ttnice30]

While the dust settles on 3G is Thailand, the rest of the western world is on 4G with 5G already on the horizon.

Thailand with it corrpution, with is lack of decisive decision making will always be way behind the curve.

Agreed. There's just too much conflict of interest going on about 3G Mobile Network.

[Arkady]

"Will consumers be the winners once the 3G dust settles?"

No, because the technology is already years out of date.

[muratremix]

The is no chance consumers will be the winner

companies like TRUE do not give two shites about customers

There goal is to charge as much as possible while giving as

little service as possible

Buy an IPHONE or IPAD in Canada or the USA and you get

a huge discount if you sign a contract with the service provider.

No chance this will ever happen here

You pay 20 bucks for iphone package with 3gb internet and 300 minutes/sms here compared to what? 50-80 usd in united states/canada? Yet you still expect 199 usd price tag. Shame on you.

[asiawatcher]

Pathetic, really pathetic.

[hellodolly]

Thai corruption will always prevail !! the heck with the working class. If Thaskin was in power we would be already on 4G last year...looking into the future.. !!

True Thaksin would have grabbed all the graft money and there would have been no in fighting over who was going to get it.

Let us assume the bid goes through. How long would it take to have it implemented?

The fact that much of the world has 4G means we are waiting for old technology to be implemented after it has been discarded by most of the world.

[TongueThaied]

Hmmmph! "must provide network coverage to 50 per cent of the population within two years, and to 80 per cent within four years."

Since I'm out in a small village, I guess that means NEVER for me.

[monty]

Skip the 3G bidding and go directly to the 4G (LTE) bidding process. It's not like they have to wait for the 4G technology to be created and implemented...just purchase and install.

By the time they've done with that, 5G (or whatever it will be called) will be used elsewhere.

I was curious as to what countries have 4G and this is the map.

Worldtimezones

Ask and you shall receive...

In short, red is LTE(4G) 'established', dark blue is 'in deployment' and light blue is 'Trial'

http://en.wikipedia...._Map.svg&page=1

Strangely enough, wikipedia has Truemove listed as having 4G !?!?!?! Must be a copy 4G. (shhhhh...don't tell Lady Gaga this. She may want to come back)

True is listed as 4G as it seems hsdpa+ allowing speeds up to 41 Mbps is considerd 4G.

Same as on Tywais map...

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Thaivisa Connect App

[jbrain]

Skip the 3G bidding and go directly to the 4G (LTE) bidding process. It's not like they have to wait for the 4G technology to be created and implemented...just purchase and install.

By the time they've done with that, 5G (or whatever it will be called) will be used elsewhere.

I was curious as to what countries have 4G and this is the map.

Worldtimezones

Ask and you shall receive...

In short, red is LTE(4G) 'established', dark blue is 'in deployment' and light blue is 'Trial'

http://en.wikipedia...._Map.svg&page=1

Strangely enough, wikipedia has Truemove listed as having 4G !?!?!?! Must be a copy 4G. (shhhhh...don't tell Lady Gaga this. She may want to come back)

True is listed as 4G as it seems hsdpa+ allowing speeds up to 41 Mbps is considerd 4G.

Same as on Tywais map...

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Thaivisa Connect App

Doesn't Dtac advertise the same up to 42 Mbps speeds? I have Dtac 3G and get 25 KB/sec.............that is if it's my lucky day.

[jbrain]

Skip the 3G bidding and go directly to the 4G (LTE) bidding process. It's not like they have to wait for the 4G technology to be created and implemented...just purchase and install.

By the time they've done with that, 5G (or whatever it will be called) will be used elsewhere.

You mean as in, cancel the long overdue 3G auction, and leave customers a few year longer in the Technical middle ages untill the by then long overdue 4G auction can start, then repeat from step one to go directly to 5G?

What are the odds that this 3G auction will be cancelled once again at the last minute due to legal issues?

I think it is already getting more clear as to how much the consumer will benefit. I believe the auction will be cancelled once again.

3G auction faces new challenge

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/591044-3g-auction-faces-new-challenge/