Thailand's central administrative court has approved CAT Telecom's request for an injunction to stop the National Telecom Commission's planned 3G auction. The court said that if the auction would be allowed to proceed as scheduled by the National Telecom Commission (NTC), it would lead to a number of problems as the NTC itself is in a transition period, awaiting the establishment of a new regulatory body. The regulator plans to appeal the verdict and hopes for a quick outcome to be able to proceed with the auction on 20 September, the Nation writes. The licence auction is scheduled for 20 to 27 September with two licences available and three bidders, namely AIS, DTAC and True. ICT minister Chuti Krairiksh said it was his fault for failing to stop state-owned operator CAT Telecom from seeking the injunction. Under the 2007 constitution, a new regulatory body – the National Broadcasting and Telecom Commission (NBTC) - will be established to oversee broadcasting and telecommunications sectors. To avoid creating future problems for the NBTC, the NTC's plan to auction 2.1 GHz spectrum licences should be suspended, the court said. The bill to create the NBTC is currently pending in the house of representatives following amendments made by the senate. The house and senate are expected to set-up a joint committee to consider the proposed legislation, which was earlier expected to be enacted by the end of this year.
