NBTC will hold 5G spectrum auction in June next year, 2.6GHz band will become the focus

According to foreign media reports, Thailand's regulatory body, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), recently announced that it will auction 80MHz of 2600 MHz spectrum in June 2017.

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According to reports from Thailand, this unused spectrum is currently held by state-owned broadcaster MCOT and will be allocated to operators in the future for the development of 5G technology.

The Bangkok Post said the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission is negotiating with MCOT to buy back the spectrum, and compensation will be paid before or after the spectrum planning is completed.

The regulator is not currently authorised to pay compensation to relevant state-owned agencies for reclaiming frequencies, but this is expected to change when the new NBTC law comes into effect next year.

According to the plan, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission will grant at least two 25MHz licenses and one 30MHz license (2600MHz band). This will help operators develop a spectrum roadmap for the commercial standardization of 5G in 2020.

“Global operators, including China Mobile, a strategic partner of True Move, the third largest operator in Thailand, have asked the commission to develop a clear roadmap for spectrum auctions, especially for the 2.6GHz band, which is most compatible with 5G technology,” Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, told the Bangkok Post.

In September 2016, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission released a five-year master plan for Thailand's telecommunications industry, which included regulations to promote new technologies such as 5G.

Last year, the regulator held two auctions of 4G airwaves that raised a total of $6.5 billion, and the NTCC also announced plans to auction three spectrum bands in 2018.