DHAKA, Sept 24, 2018 (BSS) – Bangladesh’s first geostationary
communication satellite Bangabandhu-I handed over preliminarily today by the
French manufacturing company Thales Alenia Space to the telecom regulator’s
project officials.
Thales has done the move following the satisfactory result from the final
technical test carried during the solar eclipse that occurred on September
21.
Talking to BSS today, Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited
(BCSCL) Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood said Thales handed over the control of
the satellite preliminarily.
“We are hopeful of getting full control by the end of this month or the
first week of October,” said Dr Mahmood.
Replying to a query, the BCSCL Chairman said they have experienced
satisfactory result from all technical tests. “So, Bangabandhu-I is now ready
for commercial operation.”
Officials said, Thales handed over the Bangabandhu-I to the project
officials of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC)
and the project office, which will give it to the authority of BCSCL.
Meanwhile the trial broadcast of Bangabandhu-I has been successfully done
through the on air of South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship
2018, said Dr Mahmood.
Thales launched the Bangabandhu-I in May 12 from Florida of America at a
cost of Taka 2,765 crore and according to the plan, it will reach break-even
within seven years of starting its commercial service.
The satellite is now being run by local engineers with the assistance of
Thales’s experts.
On the other hand, BCSCL has international consultancy firm Thaicom for
two years to run marketing and sale of the connectivity of Bangabandhu-I in
six countries, including four neighbours. The Thai firm is currently active
in around 20 countries.
Mentioning that BCSCL mobilised a good and efficient marketing team, Dr
Mahmood earlier said, “Our agency will mainly concentrate on the
international business rather engaging in local market”.
Located at the 119.1 east geostationary slot, Bangabandhu-I would cover
the SAARC countries and Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Tajikistan,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkestan and a part of Kazakhstan.
The coverage is the strongest in Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Sri
Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan, for which these six countries have initially been
chosen for business.
The satellite’s operations include “direct-to-home” service for TV
channels, VSAT (very small aperture terminal), backhaul and network
restoration, disaster preparedness and relief.