A Thai court has confirmed the suspension of the country's 3G licence auction. State-run CAT Telecoms had appealed to the Central Administrative Court to block the auction. It says its interests would be damaged and that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has no authority to offer the licences. That court had ruled on 16 September that the new regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), must be formed first before the auction can take place, in line with the 2007 constitution. The Supreme Administrative Court agreed in its ruling on 23 September that the auction should be halted for now, Reuters reported. The case is being sent back to the lower court, which plans to ask Thailand's Constitution Court to consider whether the NTC has authority to issue the licences. The government said it plans to speed up the process by seeking parliamentary approval for new regulations to set up the NBTC by the end of this year or early next year.
