NBTC gets 3G payments from two operators

BANGKOK, October 20 (TNA) - Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has already received payments from two out of three winning operators for the country's third-generation mobile spectrum or 3G, worth over 7 billion baht each. Advanced Wireless Network, a subsidiary of Advanced Info Service (AIS), was the first operator to make the payment of 7.8 billion baht to the NBTC on Friday, followed by Real Future, a subsidiary of True Corp, which paid 7.22 billion baht, leaving only Dtac Network, a subsidiary of Total Access Communication, to have not yet paid the first installment to NBTC. The initial payments were required for licences to operate 3G frequencies awarded to the three Bangkok-based firms in an auction on October 16. (TNA)