BANGKOK -- Thailand's two leading mobile carriers have sought relief from the government on steep payments for wireless spectrum they won at auction, sparking criticism that they are trying to change the rules of the game after the fact.
Market leader Advanced Info Service and second-ranked True Corp. each won 4G network licenses for about 76 billion baht ($2.44 billion at current rates) at government auctions in December 2015 and May 2016, respectively. Each was to pay about 20% in the three years through 2018, and the remaining roughly 60 billion baht in 2020.
