Hutch refuses govt offer on CAT (Thailand)
If reports are to be believed, Hutchison is unlikely to exit Thailand anytime soon, after it baulked at the government’s offer for its CDMA 2000 network.
The Hong Kong Company is reluctant to sell the network to Joint Venture partner, state-owned CAT Telecom, for less than $220 million.
It considers the US$133.96 million figure proposed by ICT minister Juti Kririksh unfeasible, as it represents just a single year of projected earnings.
According to sources, the operator, which has no further Thai 3G plans, would rather let the network expire than sell at that price.
Hutchison currently owns a 74% stake, and CAT 26%, in Hutchison CAT Wireless Telemedia, the JV set up to market services over the network.
Kririksh’s valuation is based on the price CAT paid for its separate CDMA 2000 network, while Hutchison includes the cost burden for upgrading CAT’s network equipment to EV-DO.
CAT has been trying for years to buy the Hutch network, which covers 25 provinces, and merge it with its own CDMA 2000 assets for a single nationwide network. With regulator NTC currently unable to auction spectrum on the 2100MHz band, and the only operator with a license facing delays rolling out 3G infrastructure, a combined network would be a valuable asset in Thailand’s capacity-constrained mobile market today.
DTAC revenue up 13.2%, says MNP will launch by December end
DTAC, Thailand’s second largest cellco by users, has revealed its quarter results. The company’s subscriber base reached increased to 20.9 million at the end of September 2010, compared to 296,000 in three months. The company recorded 6,000 post-paid net additions in Q3 for a total of 2.312 million and its pre-paid base increasing by a net 290,000 taking it to a total of 18.623 million.
The company revealed its third-quarter net profit increased 87.7% to US$102.2 million on higher revenues from telephony services up to US$587.87 million from US$353.64 million a year earlier and smartphone handset sales which enlarged to US$21.43 million compare to last year
Total turnover boosted to 614.32 million in the three months to the end of September, up 13.2% from the previous year. Quarterly EBITDA raised 38.1% y-o-y to US$234.34 million.
DTAC also announced that implementation of a Mobile Number Portability (MNP) system is in the final stage and the service is expected to be launched by year-end 2010. All of Thailand’s mobile operators have been subject to daily fines from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) since failing to meet the Thai regulator’s end-August deadline for launching MNP.
AIS, DTAC, True cleared for 3G bids; CAT aspires to block the process
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has announced that the AIS, DTAC and True Move, the three Thai Telecos which submitted the only bids for next week’s scheduled 2100MHz 3G license auctions have qualified to enter the contest.
Two licenses are up to grab a preliminary round with a starting price of US$423 million, at the same time as a third license will be put up for auction within 90 days.
However, according to reports, the state-owned CAT Telecom is planning to submit an appeal to the Central Administrative Court on Monday in an attempt to block the process. As per the report its interests will be damaged by the auction and that the NTC has no authority to offer the 3G licenses. A similar blocking lawsuit from a representative of CAT’s sister telco TOT was recently turned down by the court.
Thailand Mobile operators misses MNP deadline, will start testing by September
Mobile number portability (MNP) systems will begin testing in Thailand by 1 September. According to Preemon Pinsakul, president of Clearing House for Number Portability. Although mobile phone operators would not be able to meet the deadline to provide mobile number portability to consumers on September 1, as they have yet to test the system.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) set September 1 as the deadline for the mobile phone operators to provide MNP to the consumers.
However, the operators have been warned by NTC that they will be fined per day for failing to meet the official deadline to begin offering MNP services to customers.
The NTC has been informed that the mobile phone operators will conduct a test for the MNP system in September. Many scenarios will be used to test the system, and it will take three to four months before MNP will be officially available.
Five Bidders for the Thai 3G auction scheduled for September 28-29
Five companies bought bid documents for the 3G license auction scheduled for September 28-29 when the National Telecommunications Commission opened the sale of documents on Tuesday
According to the reports, AIS, DTAC and True Corp the three main operators of Thailand have bought bid documents for the 3G auction. The other two applicants are Samart and Loxley who operates as in MVNOs.
All the three operators bought two bid documents each AIS for itself and its subordinate AWN, DTAC for itself and its unit DTAC Internet Service, and True for its two units True Move and SK Wireless, while only one operating company from each will be able to take part.
The government has set a reserve price for a 15-year license of $403.1 million. Operators can file their bid proposals by the end of this month.
AIS has dedicated US$ 1.578 million to developing 3G services over the next three years. According to MVNO Loxley, it was in talks with an Asian company to form a possible JV to bid for a licence. The establish investment of the JV would be around US$ 0.946 million.
According to Samart President Watchai Vilailuck., Samart is considering following Loxley’s track. The company is in talks with Malaysian giant Axiata and another Asian telco over forming a JV for the purpose. The venture would have initial funding of US$ 0.631 million and about 51% would be owned by Samart’s MVNO unit Samart I-Mobile. The company would wait until the results of a feasibility study to determine whether the project would be worth its hefty price tag.
Five Thai operators to implement MNP before 3G auction
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Five mobile operators of Thailand might be banned by the Thai communications regulator from applying for 3G spectrum licenses if they fail to implement mobile number portability (MNP) in time.
Revision of 2.1 GHz licensing conditions is also considered by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to allow the regulator to ban the operators from bidding in the auction.
The five operators include Advanced Info Service (AIS), Total Access Communication (DTAC), TrueMove, TOT and CAT Telecom and they have been asked to implement MNP services before August.
The operators on the other hand have agreed to implement the system before August but they have seeked three more months as the system will need testing before being launched commercially.
NTC announces quick 3G frequency auction mandatory
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The final 3G frequency spectrum auction in Philippines has been suggested by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to take place immediately before the technology is overtaken by a much faster one.
According to the 152-page appeal filed by the watchdog , there is an exigent need for it to implement its statutory mandate before the 3G technology is overtaken by better, faster standards and if it is not awarded immediately to a service provider who will use it efficiently and effectively then this renders the same obsolete.
As an example, Filipino telco Liberty Telecoms has been cited which is already rolling out 4G services through its Wi-tribe brand. With a subscriber base of 715,000 as at December 21, 2009, Globe Telecom has been the number one WiMAX operator in the Philippines. Meanwhile, Liberty Telecoms has announced that 1, 000 subscribers has been added to its pre-commercial WiMAX trials at the end of March 2010.
Globe Telecom plans to roll out 2,000 Wimax, 3G base stations
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Installation of 2,000 new base stations has been planned by Philippine communications provider Globe Telecom this year. The new base stations will be installed for 3G and WiMAX services on account of expected traffic rise by 35 to 40 percent per year by the operator.
3000 base station is currently owned by Globe Telecom and the company aims to bring this number to 5,000 this year. The figure has been filed by the operator with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). Need for additional 3G spectrum is also pointed by the operator and at present it has 10 MHz of 3G spectrums.
The regulator on the other hand is planning to auction the last 3G slot this year and it allowed the current 3G licensees to participate in the auction.
NTC allows Philippines’ 3G operators to bid for last license
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Three major 3G licensees- Smart Communications, Globe Telecom and Digital Mobile Philippines- will be allowed to participate in the upcoming auction for the last 3G spectrum license by Philippines’ National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
The three companies had asked the regulator to lift its ban preventing them from participating in the auction after which the NTC revised the rules for the auction allowing companies that are already authorized to operate a mobile network and companies with pending authorizations to participate.
AZ Communications Network, Multi-Media Telephony, Next Mobile, and Pacific Wireless are the companies with pending authorizations.
Regulator endorsement paves way for Thai 3G auction
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The way for the auction of four 3G licenses this year has been paved with the endorsement of the new board of Thailand’s regulator. National Telecom Commission (NTC) was advised by Thailand’s Cabinet Secretariat that the Royal Household has approved the appointment of four new NTC directors.
The Prime Minister’s Office was asked to double check†the proposed NTC directors backgrounds by the Royal Household last month after it emerged that one of the nominees Col. Natee Sukolrat is under investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
2100MHz spectrum would be allocated for 3G. The government had intended generating 350 billion rupee for its budget coffers by March 31.
