NBTC's four projects worth 100 billion baht suspended by NCPO

[webfact]

NBTC's four projects worth 100 billion baht suspended by NCPO



BANGKOK: -- Four projects worth about 100 billion baht of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission have been temporarily suspended by the National Council for Peace and Order pending a thorough review of the projects.

NBTC secretary-general Thakorn Tanthasit said Tuesday that he had received a hand-written letter from NCPO head General Prayuth Chan-ocha instructing that the four projects be put on hold temporarily for further review.

The four projects include the auction of 1800 and 900 megahertz frequencies worth altogether 42 billion baht which are divided into four licences; the coupons for top-set boxes for 2.5 million households worth 25 billion baht so their television sets can receive digital signals and the project for the development of basic telecommunications worth about 20 billion baht.

As a result of the suspension order, Mr Thakorn said that the four projects which were scheduled to be finalized by the NBTC on Wednesday were withdrawn from the meeting’s agenda.

Also, the auction of 900 megahertz frequency scheduled on Thursday has alsol been called off, he added.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/nbtcs-four-projects-worth-100-billion-baht-suspended-ncpo/


-- Thai PBS 2014-06-17

[chotthee]

I want my coupons for top-set boxes.

I want now.

[UbonRatch]

"the coupons for top-set boxes for 2.5 million households worth 25 billion baht so their television sets can receive digital signals"

Jesus, are we living in th 1950s or what?

[kmj]

All media based, looks like the last thing wanted is better coms

[BSJ]

"the coupons for top-set boxes for 2.5 million households worth 25 billion baht so their television sets can receive digital signals"

Jesus, are we living in th 1950s or what?

Are you surprised! Time moves on. By the time it's 2064 in the West it will be 2000 in LOS!

[jaidam]

'Tis better to have hand your hand in the cookie jar and had the lid brutally slammed shut on your fingers,

Than never to have had your hand in such a sweet cookie jar at all.

[ramrod711]

And another vote buying, money wasting scheme bites the dust. Well done.

[BillyBobThai]

"the coupons for top-set boxes for 2.5 million households worth 25 billion baht so their television sets can receive digital signals"

Jesus, are we living in th 1950s or what?

These are the 50's, the 2550's

[12DrinkMore]

"the project for the development of basic telecommunications worth about 20 billion baht"

What on earth is that??????

Words fail, they really do.

[webfact]

AFTER COUP
4G auction, digital TV voucher scheme on hold
Usanee Mongkolporn
The Nation

Junta wants doubts regarding projects cleared

BANGKOK: -- The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has ordered the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to suspend four key projects, including the planned auction of 4G wireless broadband spectrum licences, and the distribution of subsidy vouchers for the purchase of digital TV set-top boxes, until some doubts regarding the projects are cleared, in order to ensure transparency.

At the same time, the NCPO order to the watchdog yesterday also instructed the NBTC to improve both the organisational structure and the regulations regarding its budget spending. Private telecom operators yesterday said they hoped the regulatory body could clear all doubts soon and give them the new licence auction timelines.

If the auction of new spectrum licences were to be delayed for a long time, this would mean some telecom operators would not be able to acquire more bandwidth to effectively serve the rising number of users.

The delay in the voucher distribution could affect the watchdog's intention to quickly usher in a digital TV era in the country.

The NBTC also needs to reallocate this 1,800MHz via auction to bid winners to serve the existing 1,800MHz users of TrueMove and Digital Phone Co (DPC), who have yet to migrate to other networks after the companies' state concessions ended last September. The NBTC has permitted TrueMove and DPC to continue using the 1,800MHz spectrum but only until September to serve customers who have yet to move to other networks.

On Monday, the NBTC sent details of the four projects to the NCPO for consideration. However, the papers were returned to the NBTC yesterday morning with notes from NCPO chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, instructing the watchdog to suspend the projects temporarily, pending a complete scrutiny by the junta.

NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasit said yesterday that he would submit this case to the NBTC board for consideration today.

He added that the telecom and broadcasting committees would clear all doubts in the projects with the NCPO. If the NCPO approves the projects after receiving the clarifications, the projects could go ahead as planned.

Projects in question

Takorn said only two out of these four projects are in question - the auction of two licences of the 1,800MHz spectrum and the planned giveaway of vouchers to all households to buy any of the following: a digital TV set-top box, a cable TV set-top box, a satellite TV set-top box, and a TV with digital TV function for digital TV programmes.

One clause of the 1,800MHz licence auction is that the NBTC will go ahead with the auction even if there are only one or two qualified bidders. This might risk attracting possible legal challenge by any parties arguing that the condition promotes low competition in the auction.

Regarding the distribution of free vouchers, there is still disagreement among parties if the NBTC should allow people to use vouchers to buy cable and satellite TV boxes, instead of only the digital TV set-top box and TV with digital TV function. Some also questioned if the Bt1,000 voucher price is appropriate.

Representatives of 12 digital TV channels on Monday submitted a the letter to the NBTC urging it to allow people to use vouchers to buy cable and satellite TV boxes, saying the satellite and cable TV operators are their rivals.

Regarding the NCPO's call to the NBTC to improve its organisational structure, Takorn said he did not want to interpret what the NCPO meant by it. He declined to confirm reports that the NCPO wanted to disband the NBTC.

Jon Eddy Abdullah, chief executive officer of Total Access Communication (DTAC), said he hoped the NBTC could soon clear all doubts regarding the projects and issue a new licence-auction timeline to telecom operators soon.

"We look forward to participating and we will support in any way to help the NBTC and the NCPO to bring more and faster 4G to Thailand," he added.

Advanced Info Service (AIS) chief executive officer Wichian Mektrakarn said private telecom operators could not do anything except wait.

AIS' share price yesterday closed at Bt222, down 3.06 per cent, while that of DTAC closed at Bt110.50, down 2.64 per cent. True's share price rose 10.92 per cent to close at Bt9.65.



Delayed projects

The NCPO has ordered the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission to suspend four key projects until some doubts can be cleared. The projects are:

_ The auction of two licences of the 1,800MHz spectrum in August, with combined starting price of more than Bt23 billion

_ The auction of two licences of the 900MHz spectrum in November, with combined starting price of more than Bt19 billion

_ The distribution of free vouchers to households to buy digital TV set-top boxes in August, with voucher subsidy worth Bt25 billion

_ The planned auctions to provide Universal Services Obligation projects worth more than Bt20 billion


-- The Nation 2014-06-18

[kannot]

auction for 4 g when 3g is almost next to useless..............i can hardly wait

[belg]

basic human rights in thailand mean :

the right to get a free settop box to watch tv (to keep them stupid & brain washed), a few portions of som tam and a few changs

[JesseFrank]

I'm waiting for the 3G auction annulment announcement in Birma II

Edited June 18, 2014 by JesseFrank

[SanukJoeII]

I must have missed something, or?

Coupons for 2.5 million households, with a value of 1000 baht equals 2.5 billion, not 25 billion.

What are the 2.5 million households? A small part of the total population of 66 million people.

Or are they the remaining households, the only ones that have no digital receiver or tv?

[thumper101]

I must have missed something, or?

Coupons for 2.5 million households, with a value of 1000 baht equals 2.5 billion, not 25 billion.

What are the 2.5 million households? A small part of the total population of 66 million people.

Or are they the remaining households, the only ones that have no digital receiver or tv?

There are 25 million households in Thailand. So that would have been a typing error.

On the other hand, this is just going to be corruption abound.

I can see that most people will claim their voucher, even if they already have a set top box, and then selling the voucher for say 500 cash to the shop who will claim the 1000 from the scheme.

This is crazy, and I am waiting for it to happen.

I also wonder how many of these vouchers will be converted to cash from the scheme via people involved directly with the running of the scheme using falsified applications???

They need to scrasp this scheme along with many others. They are far too easy to manipulate to channel money into corrupt bank accounts.

If a household can't afford to scrape together the 1000 baht, then they should be out working on jobs vacated by the Cambodians to get the money together...... not sitting at home watching TV.

25 Bn baht is a lot of money, and should be diverted to things that are necessary.... TV is NOT a necessity in life.

25 Bn baht can go a long way towards building say.... government owned fertiliser production facilities to produce fertilizer at cost for the rice farmers... It could probably build a few of them.

Edited June 18, 2014 by thumper101

[KhunBENQ]

What should 25 million households do with digital set-top boxes for DVB-T (terrestrial digital TV) while there is no digital broadcast in their area?

DVB-T has just been introduced in a small portion of the country, where at the same time analog broadcast has been switched off.

So these former analog user have the need for such a box when they want to watch TV.

Was the same situation in my home country, but no state funds for the new box.

Rest of the country:

Analog TV (fewer and fewer users even here on the countryside)

Satellite dish (overwhelming majority) with no need for DVB-T.

I guess that DVB-T will be limited to the major populated areas.

What are the 2.5 million households? A small part of the total population of 66 million people.

Or are they the remaining households, the only ones that have no digital receiver or tv?

See above.

Edited June 19, 2014 by KhunBENQ