The Information and Communications Technology Ministry plans to ask Thaicom 7 and 8 satellites to pay annual concession fees to the ministry until 2021, on top of the annual licence fees they already pay to the National Broadcasting and Telecom-munications Commission.

The ministry claims the move is to resolve redundant roles between itself and the NBTC in overseeing the commercial satellite sector.

The Thaicom 4, 5 and 6 satellites operate under an ICT Ministry concession that will expire in 2021, while Thaicom 7 and 8 operated under the NBTC licensing regime. Thaicom will face higher regulatory costs if Thaicom 7 and 8 have to pay the concession fee in addition to the licence fee.

The annual licence fee is 5.25 per cent of Thaicom’s gross revenue, while the annual concession fee is 20.5 per cent of its gross revenue.

According to the statement, the rules and licence fees of Thaicom 7 and 8 were determined by the law that mandates the change from the concession to the licensing regime. The low licence fee reflects the law’s intention to support the satellites’ long-term competitiveness. Therefore, if the government wants to impose additional conditions or additional fees on Thaicom 7 and 8, it should also consider the possible impacts on the company that has invested in these two satellites, it said.

The company also wants to see the government regulating the satellite sector’s competition on the fair basis. Foreign satellite operators now provide services in Thailand without consent and without paying fees to the state. Therefore, the government must ensure that all players compete on a level playing field, Thaicom said.

The company also urged the government to come up with a clearer satellite policy and regulations as soon as possible. It said it was willing to meet with the government to provide relevant information and discuss the matter.