Thaicom to bid for extra licences?
September 12, 2023
By Chris Forrester
Thaicom is contemplating whether or not to bid for the unallocated transmission rights on satellites in place at 50.5 degrees East and 142 degrees East.
The Bangkok Post reports that CEO at Thaicom, Patompob Suwansiri, is assuming the conditions for buying the rights should be changed, and he wants the allocations changed and fees modified.
In January Thailand’s National Broadcasting & Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) sold off the first slots in five bundles, but two packages were unsold.
Patompob told the newspaper that he understood that the licence conditions had now changed, and while it was too early for a decision as to making a bid, it would now conduct a feasibility study and then submit the findings to Thaicom’s board of directors.
An auction is expected for the remaining licences by year-end.
Meanwhile, Thaicom confirmed on September 11th that it had ordered an additional satellite from Airbus.