The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) sets to go on with the auction for the country’s long-awaited third generation (3G) mobile phone service license despite of the public’s questioning about their authority, a regulatory official said Friday after NTC’s third public hearing at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.

According to a constitutional law that established the board of regulators, NTC requires seven members in order to issue regulations for the 3G auction. One of the commissioners has been resigned from its member and the other two completed their service term of six-year period.

Replacement for the three is unlikely at anytime soon.

The official said the NTC will, however, announce the draft for regulations for the 3G license auction on it website and will begin dispatching an invitation letter to prospective bidders for the auction by this December.

He said the commissioners are confident that the auction to license the 2100MHz spectrum band for 3G mobile broadband could be held as scheduled in the first quarter of 2010.