About a dozen employees of Global Mobile (全球一動), a Worldwide Interoperability Microwave Access (WiMAX) service provider, yesterday accused the National Communications Commission (NCC) of selling the spectrum the company currently uses to another telecom on the cheap in an auction, adding that the firm would not cease operations and fight the commission until the end.
The protest occurred a day after the commission auctioned the frequency spectrum for the use by a telecom using fourth-generation long-term evolution technology.
The D6 frequency block was sold to Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) for NT$2.18 billion (US$65.99 million).
Photo: CNA
The protest also occurred just two days before Global Mobile’s license expires tomorrow. The commission rejected the firm’s license renewal application last month.
The commission also reassigned the phone numbers currently used by Global Mobile subscribers to FET to ensure that subscribers’ interests were protected.
Lo Kai-cheng (羅凱正), an attorney representing Global Mobile, said the company has filed a lawsuit against the commission at the Taipei High Administrative Court, adding that the company was unable to construct the required facilities while the license was still valid because the commission had delayed its review of Global Mobile’s license renewal application by 23 months after repeatedly requesting that it provide additional information.
Lo said the company is seeking an injunction on the sale of the frequency spectrum and it hopes that the court could rule before the license expires tomorrow.
The company said it is also seeking administrative remedy for the financial losses incurred because of the loss of the license.
The company said that although the government received more than NT$27.9 billion from the spectrum auction which closed on Monday, that was much lower than market expectations, with the amount estimated to reach between NT$30 billion and NT$50 billion.
The company said that the D6 frequency block should be worth at least NT$4 billion, given the company has to pay the government an annual fee for accessing the spectrum as well as 6.19 percent of its profits.
Global Mobile added that it had invested more than NT$5 billion in its operations in the past eight years, money which would be wasted because of the commission’s actions.
The company also said that the administrative hearing held to determine whether the company’s license should be renewed was unjust.
In addition, it said the legality of the auction for the D6 frequency block was questionable because the court has yet to rule on its lawsuit pertaining to the commission’s alleged administrative errors.
“The commission will not be protect the rights of Global Mobile customers if it simply allows the service to cease on Thursday,” the company said.
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