In a populist move, Thailand’s telecoms regulator announced it would set a price cap for services under the upcoming 900-MHz and 1800-MHz 4G auction as part of the licence deals.
Voice would be capped at 1.6 cents (0.55 baht) per minute and data at 2.5 cents (0.86 baht) per megabit of data. The voice price 30% off the 2.3 cents (0.82 baht) per minute cap that was introduced only after the 3G auction had ended in a move that was clearly aimed at quelling public resentment of the auction itself.
The national broadcasting and telecommunications commission said the cap will only apply to operators with at least 25% market share, which in effect means all three major telcos.
Meanwhile, the ongoing saga of the NBTC’s secretary-general has taken a twist with the chairman of the NBTC rejecting his resignation.
Takorn Tantasit announced his resignation back in May. Indeed, he was the subject of one of Prime Minister General Prayuth’s Chanocha’s rants in parliament when he went off topic and told the media to stop speculating about Takorn’s future; that he was not being appointed as the new ICT Minister and that he was resigning for health reasons.
However, Takorn did not slow down his pace after the resignation was announced, remaining fit and at the forefront of every 4G related story.
NBTC chairman Air Chief Marshall Thares Punnasri yesterday rejected Takorn’s resignation and told him to reconsider and see the 4G auction through first.