The NBTC has deferred its decision on the planned True-Dtac merger pending legal advice from the Council of State. The meeting came after a second request by the NBTC for the council to interpret its power to regulate the merger deal. The first request was rejected by the Council of State on grounds that the NBTC did have the power according to law but also that the watchdog was being sued in the Central Administrative Court. The lawsuit, which was filed by Napat Winitchaikul, a member of a committee overseeing the telecoms watchdog, asked the court to order the NBTC to nullify its regulations on telecom mergers. The Central Administrative Court rejected the lawsuit on grounds that the NBTC had power to halt any merger it deemed as a threat to fair competition.
