WiMax licences expected soon after 3G

       The national telecom regulator intends to grant WiMax wireless broadband spectrum licences shortly after the auction of the 2.1-gigahertz third-generation spectrum licences. National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) commissioner Sethaporn Cusripituck yesterday said if the NTC auctioned the 3G licences in early December, the WiMax-spectrum licences would be granted shortly after that.
       He was speaking at the first public hearing on broadband wireless-access licensing and regulations for new technology services, including WiMax.
       Recently, NTC chairman Choochart Phromprasid said the watchdog intended to auction four 3G licences in December.
       Wi-Max provides wireless broadband connection service within a wide range.
       Sethaporn said the licence was likely to be granted via the auction, the same as the 3G spectrum licences, and that the NTC was considering whether to allow the 3G-licence winners to own the WiMax licences, as well.
       A CAT Telecom representative told the hearing that the WiMax licences should not be granted via the auction, given that CAT was not cash-rich enough to seek the licence that way.
       The NTC decided to grant only the 2.3GHz spectrum for WiMax-service development, given that the other potential choice - the 2.5GHz spectrum - had been in use in the broadcasting business. It may have to wait for the new regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, to get up and running and reallocate the 2.5GHz spectrum.
       The NTC also must take back the 2.3GHz spectrum from many state agencies now using the spectrum band. Of the total 100-megahertz bandwidth of the spectrum, TOT owns 64MHz bandwidth, while military agencies use a combined 30MHz bandwidth, and CAT4MHz bandwidth.
       The NTC appointed Sethaporn as chairman of the committee to negotiate the return of the 2.3GHz spectrum.
       Sethaporn said WiMax-licence applicants would be required to pay for the cost of the spectrum reallocation and related costs to the existing spectrum-owners. The applicants can combine both the cost of the spectrum reallocation and the licence fee together when applying for the licences.
       He said the NTC might be flexible in taking back the 2.3GHz spectrum from TOT, which intends to develop WiMax service.
       "We may ask TOT to tell us how much, out of the total bandwidth amount it owns, it wants to keep for WiMax-service development, and then we'll take back the remaining amount for the reallocation," Sethaporn said.
       TOT and True are eager to develop WiMax service to complement their existing fast-growing fixed-line-based broadband-Internet service.
       The NTC will grant both nationwide and regional licences and decide how many after the hearing. It has already determined a nationwide licence will feature 30MHz bandwidth, while a regional licence will feature 20MHz.