Thai regulator NTC has called off its 3G auction after losing an appeal in the country’s highest court.
Thailand's Supreme Administrative Court yesterday upheld the order that NTC be prevented from conducting the auction due to a lack of authority.
Confirming the cancellation, an NTC spokesperson told Bangkok Postthe regulator would set up a panel to review the implications of the ruling.
The administrative court agreed with the lower court ruling that the NTC has no power to conduct the auctions under the current constitution.
It further found that if the auction were to proceed more legal problems were likely to follow, and that a delay would cause little financial harm as only three bidders – AIS, DTAC and True Move - were to participate in them
The injunction had been separately requested by state-owned operators CAT and DOT, which both stand to lose a lot of money in concession revenues under the proposed 3G regime.
NTC's proposal would reduce the concessions private operators must pay to state-owned companies from between 25% and 30% of their revenues to just 6%.