Thailand 3G Auction: Bidders Are Just Hungry For Food

[webfact]

3G AUCTION

Bidders are just hungry for food

USANEE MONGKOLPORN

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Speculation is running high over why the three cellular companies did not fight harder in the 3G auction on Tuesday. The late arrival of lunch could be one of the explanations.

All 27 representatives from the three big companies were locked up tightly in three bidding rooms. They could leave to go to the toilet and smoke, but only with escorts.

In their rooms were plenty of snacks and a refrigerator full of drinks. It was well beyond what they could consume. Lunch was scheduled to be served at noon, before the fourth round of bidding started at 1pm.

But at the end of the day, there were no more snacks left and only a few bottles of water in the fridge.

After the third round ended slightly before noon, all the bidding executives, who had arrived early in the morning at the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission's head office, were eagerly waiting for lunch. But the food didn't come until nearly 1pm.

The Nation has learned that on the historic day, when telecom licences were issued in lieu of conventional concessions, nearly all the NBTC members were present at the building. Top officials from the Office of the Auditor-General and more than 50 others were also on hand to observe the proceedings - a long-awaited auction of slots on the 2.1-megahertz spectrum for third-generation wireless broadband service.

Lunch was first sent to the boardroom for the commissioners and guests. As there were more observers than expected, the batch prepared for the executives also went straight to the boardroom. A new set then had to be cooked for the executives, which is why delivery was so late.

If anything, this could explain why the NBTC fetched less than Bt42 billion from the auction, which was expected to yield the full assessed value of the spectrum of nearly Bt60 billion.

Six of the nine slots went for exactly the reserve price, indicating that there was no competitive bidding for them at all.

This made a mockery of all the months of preparation and the cost of more than Bt50 million to hold the anxiously awaited bid.

-- The Nation 2012-10-18

[theblether]

I've seen it all now

Then again when I see the look on my ladies face when she's hungry maybe they have a point? Never stand between a Thai lady and her food

[Schmackos]

They say that you should never go shopping on an empty stomach

[Thai at Heart]

Maybe if they'd payed a little more the catering may have been s bit better.

What a bizarre article!

[asiawatcher]

It cost 50M Baht to stage the bid? How?...

Top officials and more than 50 observers?

More observers than expected?

Must have been some lunch but even lobster tails for the gate crashers and setting up a few rooms with some chairs does not cost 50M. But this is Thailand, no accountability and no transparency.

[Thai at Heart]

Thailand has just presided over one of the cheapest 3g auctions ever, and the article is about lunch being late because too many hangars on were in the building?????

Really quite funny that the NBTC can't even organise catering for a government get together. Ordinarily, there is enough food to feed the 5000 at events like this so that the pooyais can take home doggy bags for the "help".

[bigbamboo]

The 3G trough is now open.

Enjoy yourselves boys because the Thai people are paying.

[jbrain]

What reason would they have to up their bids.

There are 9 slots of 5Mhz available for 3 providers who each can buy a maximum of 3 slots each.So in fact each slot was allocated to a provider even before the start of the bidding.

I know Thais are not good in maths, but this should be an easy one, not?

I still don't understand why AIS offered anything higher as the starting bid, since the slots they won could not be sold to anyone else anyway.

[Thai at Heart]

What reason would they have to up their bids.

There are 9 slots of 5Mhz available for 3 providers who each can buy a maximum of 3 slots each.So in fact each slot was allocated to a provider even before the start of the bidding.

I know Thais are not good in maths, but this should be an easy one, not?

I still don't understand why AIS offered anything higher as the starting bid, since the slots they won could not be sold to anyone else anyway.

There are dozens of academic papers about how these things have been set up in the past. Obviously mathematical game theory doesn't extend beyond a game of snap, and blackjack within the NBTC.

[tragickingdom]

I will try to explain to the Nation author, after all the Nation is the a puppet of the elite and the elite control the education system ,that obviously sucks. There were 9 slots available. Dtac, AIS and True needed only 8 slots. There were no other bidders. Only people working on a Thai government purchase department would bid more than the minimum price, but that is because they usually need the extra money for a kickback. Unfortunately the directors of the three companies are non Thais and do not see the need burdening their customers and shareholders with a mark up to satisfy the 0,0009 % of the Thais that signed a petition criticizing the auction outcome.

Not only happen the 0.0009% of the Thai people that signed a petition to work for TOT, CAT or other state agencies that reward them absurdly for the little work they do, they also went to Thai universities, which is by the way an overused and rated word for "school" were they did not got any lessons in arithmetic. If they had, they would have understood that the rest of the world made far much money out of 3G auctions but that this was before the first internet bubble and the bidders had subsequently 10 years longer to make their investment back.

The only one that are incompetent is the Thai elite and are the Thai academics which is by the way also a nice word for someone who is not an analphabetic in Thailand. They were so afraid that foreigners would make money that they waited till 4G was implemented in the rest of the world before allowing a 3G auction in the land of which countries like Cambodia smile. The 0.0009% cannot possibly expect to auction off a old 1998 mass produced toyota to fetch a new Ferrari price.

Thea headline "just hungry for food" should be replaced by "old license holders hungry for kickbacks". Stupidity is still the Nation number one commodity.

[khunken]

I will try to explain to the Nation author, after all the Nation is the a puppet of the elite and the elite control the education system ,that obviously sucks. There were 9 slots available. Dtac, AIS and True needed only 8 slots. There were no other bidders. Only people working on a Thai government purchase department would bid more than the minimum price, but that is because they usually need the extra money for a kickback. Unfortunately the directors of the three companies are non Thais and do not see the need burdening their customers and shareholders with a mark up to satisfy the 0,0009 % of the Thais that signed a petition criticizing the auction outcome.

Not only happen the 0.0009% of the Thai people that signed a petition to work for TOT, CAT or other state agencies that reward them absurdly for the little work they do, they also went to Thai universities, which is by the way an overused and rated word for "school" were they did not got any lessons in arithmetic. If they had, they would have understood that the rest of the world made far much money out of 3G auctions but that this was before the first internet bubble and the bidders had subsequently 10 years longer to make their investment back.

The only one that are incompetent is the Thai elite and are the Thai academics which is by the way also a nice word for someone who is not an analphabetic in Thailand. They were so afraid that foreigners would make money that they waited till 4G was implemented in the rest of the world before allowing a 3G auction in the land of which countries like Cambodia smile. The 0.0009% cannot possibly expect to auction off a old 1998 mass produced toyota to fetch a new Ferrari price.

Thea headline "just hungry for food" should be replaced by "old license holders hungry for kickbacks". Stupidity is still the Nation number one commodity.

I think that about 0.0009% of what you wrote makes sense.

The CEO of True is Thai. AIS did bid above the minimum price. Blaming the education system on this case is just irrelevant. The bidders know full well how much was overspent on 3G in other countries.

The move to 3G has been riddled with self-interest, politics & lack of leadership. IMO it's about time that they just got on with it & accept that both sides got something out of the process.

[Crushdepth]

I will try to explain to the Nation author, after all the Nation is the a puppet of the elite and the elite control the education system ,that obviously sucks. There were 9 slots available. Dtac, AIS and True needed only 8 slots. There were no other bidders. Only people working on a Thai government purchase department would bid more than the minimum price, but that is because they usually need the extra money for a kickback. Unfortunately the directors of the three companies are non Thais and do not see the need burdening their customers and shareholders with a mark up to satisfy the 0,0009 % of the Thais that signed a petition criticizing the auction outcome.

Not only happen the 0.0009% of the Thai people that signed a petition to work for TOT, CAT or other state agencies that reward them absurdly for the little work they do, they also went to Thai universities, which is by the way an overused and rated word for "school" were they did not got any lessons in arithmetic. If they had, they would have understood that the rest of the world made far much money out of 3G auctions but that this was before the first internet bubble and the bidders had subsequently 10 years longer to make their investment back.

The only one that are incompetent is the Thai elite and are the Thai academics which is by the way also a nice word for someone who is not an analphabetic in Thailand. They were so afraid that foreigners would make money that they waited till 4G was implemented in the rest of the world before allowing a 3G auction in the land of which countries like Cambodia smile. The 0.0009% cannot possibly expect to auction off a old 1998 mass produced toyota to fetch a new Ferrari price.

Thea headline "just hungry for food" should be replaced by "old license holders hungry for kickbacks". Stupidity is still the Nation number one commodity.

Another ridiculous post. Why don't you try to educate yourself about the issue before pasting your standard government apologist commie rantfest?

Here's a head start: Who do the telcos have to pay concession fees to under current arrangements? What percentage of their revenue do they have to hand over? Which organisation torpedoed the previous auction attempt via the courts? Is it a coincidence that these parties are one and the same?

Then you could really get into some history and investigate why the NBTC took such a hideously long time to set up, and which telco mogul was Prime Minister of the country at the time.

[bkk_mike]

Actually, there is probably a good technical reason for getting the specific 3 blocks that AIS bid for, which might mean they need simpler aerials in their 3G masts, or they get less crosstalk between the frequencies they've chosen.

That would be a good enough reason to put in a slightly higher bid than the minimum in order to get the specific frequency blocks they wanted.

[jbrain]

Actually, there is probably a good technical reason for getting the specific 3 blocks that AIS bid for, which might mean they need simpler aerials in their 3G masts, or they get less crosstalk between the frequencies they've chosen.

That would be a good enough reason to put in a slightly higher bid than the minimum in order to get the specific frequency blocks they wanted.

Every provider is on one and the same fequency, not?

[thaicbr]

Actually, there is probably a good technical reason for getting the specific 3 blocks that AIS bid for, which might mean they need simpler aerials in their 3G masts, or they get less crosstalk between the frequencies they've chosen.

That would be a good enough reason to put in a slightly higher bid than the minimum in order to get the specific frequency blocks they wanted.

Every provider is on one and the same fequency, not?

Not. Different up and down frequency works best. As far as I know the Ais set is the best of the bunch.

Because they have just signed an agreement with TOT for co Use of their frequency which is just above Ais.... therefore theoreticaly giving them 10mhz more than the rest....

sent from my ..................#

Edited October 18, 2012 by thaicbr

[jbrain]

Actually, there is probably a good technical reason for getting the specific 3 blocks that AIS bid for, which might mean they need simpler aerials in their 3G masts, or they get less crosstalk between the frequencies they've chosen.

That would be a good enough reason to put in a slightly higher bid than the minimum in order to get the specific frequency blocks they wanted.

Every provider is on one and the same fequency, not?

Not. Different up and down frequency works best. As far as I know the Ais set is the best of the bunch.

sent from my ..................#

But all slots auctioned were 2.1 Mhz, as that is the official 3G frequency.

[thaicbr]

Actually, there is probably a good technical reason for getting the specific 3 blocks that AIS bid for, which might mean they need simpler aerials in their 3G masts, or they get less crosstalk between the frequencies they've chosen.

That would be a good enough reason to put in a slightly higher bid than the minimum in order to get the specific frequency blocks they wanted.

Every provider is on one and the same fequency, not?

Not. Different up and down frequency works best. As far as I know the Ais set is the best of the bunch.

sent from my ..................#

But all slots auctioned were 2.1 Mhz, as that is the official 3G frequency.

No they were in that range from 1980 - 2100mhz or something like that

sent from my ..................#

[Guest]

What an earth did I just read? Food article about 3G bidding?

TV, Please include the source link to the original article. Some of these gems are just too good to not to share with friends

Here if anybody wishes to find the original.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Bidders-are-just-hungry-for-food-30192525.html