If after the auction, the winner then fails to fulfil the initial payment condition on time, the licence will be awarded to the bidder proposing the second-highest price.

If there is only one bidder in this new 900MHz round, the NBTC will still allow the auction to take place as the starting price is already high.

The NBTC panel drafting the auction rules will submit the proposed rules for its telecom committee’s consideration today.

Under the proposals, the starting bid price is set at Bt75.654 billion and the bidders each can raise the price by Bt161 million for each round until the bidding ends.

In the previous round in December, they were permitted to raise the price by Bt644 million per round until the licence price reached its full value. Bidders were then able to raise the price by Bt322 million per round.

The NBTC is setting tougher auction rules on this occasion to address the problem of a possible default in regard to payment of the initial licence upfront payment by prospective winners.

This follows the failure of Jas Mobile Broadband – winner of a 900MHz licence in the previous auction – to make such a fee payment by the NBTC’s deadline of March 21.

It is this licence which is now being put up for auction, and the starting price of around Bt75.65 is the amount that Jas successfully offered three months ago.

The total licence payment terms are the same as in the last auction: the winner will pay Bt8.04 billion in the first year, Bt4.02 billion in both the second and third years, and the remainder in the fourth year.

The telecom committee will submit the draft for the NBTC board’s consideration on April 5, and will hold a public hearing on April 22.

Bids will be invited from May 13 to June 12, with prospective bidders submitting documents on June 14.

The NBTC will hold the auction on June 24.

Meanwhile, the NBTC subcommittee assigned to consider possible damage from the Jas case will hold its first meeting today.

Yesterday, during a seminar on the 4G held by Than Settakij newspaper, NBTC telecom committee chairman Settapong Malisuwan tried to convince both Advanced Info Service (AIS) and True Corp to join the new auction round.

Somchai Lertsutiwong , AIS’s chief executive officer, said the company was awaiting the final auction rules and it was the board that would make the final decision on whether to bid.

He also acknowledged that AIS had signed a memorandum of understanding with TOT on March 29 for a strategic partnership to allow AIS to use the agency’s 2.1GHz spectrum for a trial service offering on a non-commercial basis.

True Corp CEO Suphachai Chearavanont said True needed time to consider whether to join the auction in light of the new bank-guarantee condition.