The telecom committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) changed one criterion for the planned auction of 1,800-megahertz licenses: The auction now might go ahead even if there are only one or two qualified bidders. The original plan was that the auction would be cancelled if there
The telecom committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) changed one criterion for the planned auction of 1,800-megahertz licenses: The auction now might go ahead even if there are only one or two qualified bidders.
The original plan was that the auction would be cancelled if there were only two bidders.
The committee concluded yesterday that if there were only one or two qualified bidders, it would wait for another month, during which it would call for additional applicants. If after one month there is still no additional qualified bidder, the committee will go ahead with the auction, without raising the starting price of the licenses from the current US$ 338 million.
The panel will submit this auction plan for the NBTC board's consideration next week.
The committee will call the bid for two telecom licences on the 1,800MHz spectrum in August.
The other criteria remain unchanged, including the three-year schedule for paying for the licenses. There will be an up-front installment of 50% in the first year and 25% in each of the following two years.
The bidding will start at US$ 338 million and go up by 5% in each round.