Sit tight and buckle up, as we’re about to take a dive into the exciting world of 5G technology in Thailand! There’s been some exciting chatter around the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), the governing body that’s pushing the frontier of digital access in the country. They are actively investigating the intriguing possibility of sectioning off a piece of the 3500-megahertz telecom band in order to pioneer a whole new breed of private 5G networks. This isn’t just a play for technological superiority, but a calculated move to spur innovative applications across a myriad of industries and enterprises.
Imagine sitting down at a table filled with leading telecom operators, vendors and influencers from the Federation of Thai Industries and the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand. That’s exactly the scene at the NBTC, where heated discussions on the allocation of an estimated 100MHz of the total 400MHz bandwidth on the spectrum are taking place. NBTC commissioner, Somphop Purivigraipong, anticipates that this exciting technical shuffle could be underway by late next year or early 2025.
Now you must be wondering what this proposed shuffle entails. During recent high-level meetings with telecom industry giants, the likes of United Information Highway, Symphony and ALT Telecom Co, Somphop underscored the importance of meticulous planning and consideration in carving up the available bandwidth. His stance is clear: the focus should be on the practical demand and the NBTC’s ultimate mission to drive a 5G private network across various industrial sectors.
But who gets a bite of the 5G apple? The regulator has indicated plans to primarily offer up the bandwidth to small and medium-sized vendors, industrial estate operators, and enterprises within these estates. This game-changing allocation is expected to come to fruition, regardless of any partnerships in the roll-out of a 5G private network serving operational needs.
Breaking away from tradition, Somphop advised against an auction allocation. Why? High spectrum investment costs could prove a major roadblock in realizing the 5G private network vision. A raft of allocation alternatives were thrown into the discussion, including a tantalizing revenue-sharing model. In this proposed mechanism, licensees would have a grace period to use the spectrum ahead of paying any license fees, on a contingency basis, to the NBTC – a win both for the companies and the regulator.
While it remains a tall order to exclude major mobile phone operators from the allocation mix, the hawk’s eye remains trained on the private 5G network horizon. The coveted 100MHz section could be split into several licences, earmarking a few for major operators, while leaving the rest for minor players and enterprises.
One interesting twist is that awarded mobile operators would be barred from using the allocated bandwidth to provide traditional mobile phone services or piggyback on their existing 2600MHz allocation bagged in 2020, as per the Bangkok Post. Somphop underscores the importance of minimizing spectrum costs for the recipients of these allocations to encourage a broad adoption and ensure meaningful returns for the nation as a whole.
On another note, Somphop laments that the grand potential of 5G technology has so far been underutilized in the mass market, with usage largely limited to video streaming and beefing up 4G service. Far from being just a pipe dream, the NBTC is already charting a course with a management roadmap for the remaining portion of the 3500MHz band and the 850MHz, 2100MHz and 2300MHz spectrums, which is expected to be ready to roll out by early next year.
You’re probably eager to find out who holds the keys to these bands. Well, that would be National Telecom, which is set for a significant shift once their rights expire to these bands and are returned to the NBTC in 2025. It’s a future that glimmers with promise in the landscape of 5G technology — proving that change is the only constant in the ever-evolving world of telecommunications.
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