The marathon auction of two lots of 4G 900-megahertz spectrum that ended in the early hours of Saturday will go down in history as one of the most unexpected at many levels — from the bidding results to the repercussions it will have on Thailand's mobile broadband industry.
The most obvious one is the entry of a new player in the market long dominated by three players. Jasmine International Plc, a fixed broadband player, now has a firm footing to catapult itself onto a wireless battlefield where some think three is a crowd already.
But with a new player come new choices. From consumers' point of view, Jasmine's presence should be a blessing.
To attract as many new customers as possible, Jasmine will likely use a pricing strategy. If it works, its rivals will be forced to do the same. Whether this is good for the company depends on how long the price war will last.
Another change in the landscape is the market share. Three years from now, True Corporation is set to become No. 2 player in the mobile market, replacing Total Access Communication Plc (DTAC), with more spectrum and other converged services including broadband and cable TV.
With the least spectrum, DTAC is in the most difficult situation unless it wins some in upcoming auctions.