While the final decision on joining the auction is up to the AIS board, Somchai said the company should bid for this lower-band spectrum while it’s still relatively affordable. He does not believe the cost for this kind of low-frequency band will be less than the range of Bt75.65 billion to Bt76.3 billion in the future.

The first amount, Bt75.65 billion, is what Jas Mobile Broadband bid to win Slot 1 of the 900MHz licences up for auction last December, while Bt76.3 billion is what True Corp bid to win Slot 2.

The minimum starting bid at next month’s auction will be Bt75.65 billion.

Somchai believes that this range will become the benchmark for starting prices of the other low bands, including the 850MHz currently held by Total Access Communication (DTAC).

So far the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commis-sion (NBTC) has not decided what this 850MHz band will be used for once it is relinquished by DTAC for reallocation.

Somchai said the 900MHz spectrum was also very important, as it was one of the first standard cellular bands before it was developed to provide third- and fourth-generation wireless broadband.

At the auction of two 900MHz licences last December, AIS stopped bidding for Slot 2 once True raised it to Bt75.976 billion, deciding this was too high.

True won Slot 2 with that bid, while Jas won Slot 1. However, Jas’s failure to pay the initial fee instalment on time obliged the NBTC to plan a new auction.

Recently AIS proposed to the NBTC that it award Jas’ forfeited licence to AIS without an auction, for which the company was willing to pay Bt75.654 billion.

The NBTC consulted with the junta, which told it to hold a new auction.

The military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order also postponed the date when AIS has to cut off its 2G-900MHz service to June 30 from April 14 to prevent service disruption.

A telecom-industry observer said True Corp would think hard about bidding for another 900MHz licence in this new auction after already bidding a hefty Bt76.3 billion to win the auction last December, plus Bt39.8 billion to win a 1800MHz licence in November.

DTAC is not expected to take in next month’s auction but instead will wait to bid for a band on the 1800MHz spectrum when its concession expires in 2018.

None of the three incumbent telecom players have yet made a formal announcement on whether they will join the May auction.

Meanwhile, to prevent service disruption for its 2G customers, AIS is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with True to allow AIS’s 2G customers to roam on True’s 900MHz network.

Somchai declined to specify the details of this MoU.

He added that AIS was now focused heavily on preventing service disruption to its 2G subscribers, though they are not major revenue contributors, amounting to only Bt2 billion per year.