ID :
142754
Mon, 09/20/2010 - 11:36
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/142754
The shortlink copeid
Supreme Administrative Court postpones ruling on 3G bidding until Thursday
BANGKOK, Sept 20 -- Thailand's Supreme Administrative Court has postponed announcing its ruling on whether a temporary injunction imposed by the Administrative Court against any distribution of the 3G spectrum should stand until Thursday at 9am.
The Court earlier said it would rule on the case at 8.30am Monday after National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) commissioner and head of the 3G bidding project Col Natee Sukonrat submitted an appeal against an Administrative Court ruling which barred it from holding the 3G auction until the Constitution Court rules on its authority, or until a new regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), can be formed.
The Court also allowed CAT Telecom to submit documentation until Wednesday to defend against the appeal.
The Court on Thursday accepted a CAT Telecom request to halt the 3G auction due to start Monday until the NBTC is set up as stated in the 2007 Constitution, since the NBC has no authority to allocate frequencies and that parts of the regulations would create "unfair" competition and cause state agencies to lose revenue.
Former regulators, CAT Telecom and another state-owned communications company, TOT Plc, stand to lose enormous concession revenues should private firms acquire the new 3G licenses and draw away their customers to the new technology.
TOT also lodged a similar appeal to the Court.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said last week that the halt of the country's third generation (3G) wireless service bidding affected investor confidence, but pledged his government will speed up drafting a new bill in an attempt to set up the NBTC to oversee the matter.
Mr Abhisit said the suspension was a legal problem, a technicality, not policy. At this stage no one can tell whether or not the 3G licence auction could proceed as there is still no law concerning NBTC. The issue now rests with the Constitution Court's legal interpretation. (MCOT online news)
The Court earlier said it would rule on the case at 8.30am Monday after National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) commissioner and head of the 3G bidding project Col Natee Sukonrat submitted an appeal against an Administrative Court ruling which barred it from holding the 3G auction until the Constitution Court rules on its authority, or until a new regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), can be formed.
The Court also allowed CAT Telecom to submit documentation until Wednesday to defend against the appeal.
The Court on Thursday accepted a CAT Telecom request to halt the 3G auction due to start Monday until the NBTC is set up as stated in the 2007 Constitution, since the NBC has no authority to allocate frequencies and that parts of the regulations would create "unfair" competition and cause state agencies to lose revenue.
Former regulators, CAT Telecom and another state-owned communications company, TOT Plc, stand to lose enormous concession revenues should private firms acquire the new 3G licenses and draw away their customers to the new technology.
TOT also lodged a similar appeal to the Court.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said last week that the halt of the country's third generation (3G) wireless service bidding affected investor confidence, but pledged his government will speed up drafting a new bill in an attempt to set up the NBTC to oversee the matter.
Mr Abhisit said the suspension was a legal problem, a technicality, not policy. At this stage no one can tell whether or not the 3G licence auction could proceed as there is still no law concerning NBTC. The issue now rests with the Constitution Court's legal interpretation. (MCOT online news)
