Thailand has announced plans to allocate spectrum for private use by factories and enterprises, marking a significant step in advancing its Thailand 4.0 innovation agenda. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) will release 100MHz in the 4800MHz band under a private network operator (PNO) license.
The framework allows factories and businesses to request spectrum at no cost for non-profit purposes aimed at improving internal operations. Enterprises can collaborate with equipment vendors or telecom firms to deploy dedicated 5G private networks, boosting automation, efficiency, and digital transformation.
While non-commercial use will be free, enterprises seeking to leverage private 5G for commercial services must bid for spectrum through auctions. Telecom operators may also participate as PNOs, though licensees cannot use the band for consumer mobile services or merge it with existing 2600MHz networks. The NBTC said these restrictions are intended to promote dedicated enterprise-focused 5G solutions.
Thailand’s regulator believes private 5G networks will enable advanced applications such as industrial IoT, robotics, and real-time analytics. This initiative comes as mass-market adoption of 5G in the country remains limited, with most subscribers currently using it for video streaming or as a supplement to 4G.
