A request to seek the Council of State’s deliberation in regards to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission’s (NBTC) authority to approve the merger of True Corporation and Total Access Communication (DTAC) has been rejected during the recent NBTC meeting on Thursday (7 Apr).
According to an NBTC source, the request was one of three submitted by board member Prawit Leesathapornwongsa in response to NBTC management’s requests. The other two were a request for a public hearing on the merger, and a timetable for NBTC management and its subcommittee to review the proposed deal.
The NBTC’s management has previously indicated that the regulator’s authority is limited to recommending measures to govern the transaction deal.
Opponents of the merger, however, claim that the NBTC has the authority to approve or deny the merger. They cited a National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) regulation from 2006, claiming that the NBTC has the legal authority to prohibit mergers or acquisitions of two companies if the move would result in monopoly, a reduction or limitation of competition, or unfair competition.
The merger between True and Telenor-owned DTAC was first proposed in November 2021. The merged entity would control more than half of the country’s total mobile market at about 95.3 million subscribers, making it the country’s largest mobile company. (NNT)
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