NBTC expects to hold local radio auctions next year

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is expected to auction the country’s first licences for FM analogue frequencies for community radio broadcasting in mid-2025.
The licensing covers the existing 2,507 community radio stations that for more than a decade have operated on a trial basis under the regulator’s permission.
These community radio stations have to stop airing programmes after the end of this year, in line with the NBTC’s transition from analogue radio stations to a licensing regime, and in line with the development of the digital audio broadcasting landscape.
NBTC commissioner AM Thanapant Raicharoen said the NBTC board on Oct 16 approved the auction’s terms and conditions. Bidding is expected to be held in mid-2025.
While waiting for the auction to commence, the community radio stations that applied for frequencies can stay on the air even after the end of this year.
The NBTC office decided to invite the existing community radio operators and interested juristic entities to submit bid applications between November and December.
The NBTC office is expected to take three months to complete the bidder qualification process. After that, it will submit the list of qualified bidders to the NBTC board for its consideration.
AM Thanapant said the starting bid price is set at 25,000 baht, with increments of 1,000 baht or more, and no limit on the number of bidding rounds per frequency band. Each auction will last for a maximum of one hour.
The winning bidders will pay for the licences in two instalments.
The NBTC allows each of the juristic entities to own only one radio frequency band. However, they can bid for two frequencies. If they win two frequencies, they must choose only one, and the other frequency will be awarded to the bidder with the second-highest bidding price.
There are currently 313 FM radio stations with NBTC licences, and 2,507 community radio stations that air programmes on the spectrum range between 87MHz and 108 MHz.
AM Thanapant said the community radio stations should enter into the licensing regime and be prepared for the the upcoming digital audio broadcasting landscape.
The licensing is intended to lift service standards and to comply with the NBTC’s third master plan for broadcasting and television businesses for 2025-2030, he added.