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.
MTNL bids for telecom services in Kenya
MUMBAI: State-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd on Saturday said it has bid for a national telecom operator licence in Kenya for fixed line and cellular services.
“Yes…we have made a bid for telecom operations in Kenya. It is an independent bid,” MTNL Chairman and Managing Director R S P Sinha said.
Kenyan government had invited bids for second national telecom operator to provide fixed and mobile telephone services. The bids are expected to be opened on October 27.
Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Communications has also bid for the licence.
Asked whether MTNL had made the bid jointly with private sector Reliance, Sinha said: “As far as business relationships are concerned, we don’t have any problems with anybody else. But it should benefit MTNL. Today there is no concrete proposal for a joint bid. We have made independent bids for the Kenyan venture and are competing with each other.”
Kenyan Telecom Commission has shortlisted three bids -from MTNL, Reliance and Dubai-based Vtel. The winner of the licence would be able to offer mobile services, an Internet backbone, international voice gateway as well as national and international fixed line services in the African country.
The licence is expected to be awarded by January.
About the submarine cable project with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Sinha said the company would come out with a tender within three months.
“In three months, we will come out with tender and other things for buying cable and lying the bandwidth. Landing stations are yet to be finalised on both the coasts… towards Europe and West Asia and Singapore in the east,” he said.
MTNL, which provides telecom services in Delhi and Mumbai, has floated a 51:49 joint venture with BSNL for a 12,000 km long cable system, which will have a capacity of 2.5 terabits.
The Rs 1,800-crore project is expected to be operational in 18 months.
Source- http://www.dnaindia.com
