(The Nation via NewsEdge) The Thai government should just issue three 3G licenses in the country, telecom operators suggested.
The proposal also said regulators should award the licenses in a "beauty contest," where applicants would parade their service proposals to determine which of the operators have the most commercially viable proposal.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) earlier called a meeting so all parties could jointly set licensing guidelines for 3G services.
Most telecom operators said that from a technical standpoint, a '2x15-MHz' paired spectrum would be suitable for each licensee.
Since a total of 2x45-MHz bandwidth is available for 3G within the frequency band covering 1900-MHz-2100-MHz, three licenses could be issued.
The NTC's committee in charge of studying the 3G licensing guidelines came up with many choices of 3G bandwidth, including the pairs of 2x10-MHz, 2x15-MHz and 2x20-MHz. The 2x10-MHz paired spectrum would allow four 3G licenses, the 2x15MHz three licenses and 2x20-MHz only two licenses.
The NTC working committee suggested that operators could upgrade their existing spectrums to provide the 3G services. It also suggested many choices for licensing, including a 'first come, first serve," scheme, drawing lots, and auctions, among others.
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