Bangladesh obtains orbital slot for Bangabandhu satellite, deal signed

[extra terrestrial]

Bangladesh has signed a deal with Moscow-based Intersputnik for taking on lease an orbital slot for its first satellite, ‘Bangabandhu’.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will pay $28 million for the use of frequencies at 119.1 degree East Orbital Slot.

BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose said the satellite was important for Bangladesh.

“It’s not possible to become a rich nation by exporting unskilled and semi-educated manpower,” he said Thursday.

Intersputnik in a statement said the route would be used to carry 40 transponders for telecommunications, video and audio broadcast.

Each transponder has a 36 MHz capacity.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Sept 16 approved a Tk 29.68 billion project for the satellite.

Of the amount, the government will provide a little over Tk 13.15 billion, while the rest will come as 'project aid' through 'bidders financing'.

“It will be possible to let other countries use our satellite once the project is implemented,” Bose said, hoping to launch the satellite by June 2017.

“We’ll use 20 of the transponders and sell the rest. We’re taking a commercial approach,” he added.

BTRC Commissioner Monirul Islam and Director General of Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications, Vadim Belov, signed the agreement on Thursday in Dhaka.

Two ground stations that will control the satellite will be built at Gazipur's Joydebpur and Rangamati's Betbunia.

US company Space Partnership International is designing the satellite.

The BTRC chief said they were planning to launch more satellites and eventually establish a company.

“We’ll start marketing for our satellite (Bangabandhu) by the end of this year,” Bose said.

“This way, it won’t sit idle once it’s up and running and we’ll be able to earn foreign exchange.”

Bangladesh signs orbital slot lease deal for Bangabandhu satellite -
bdnews24.com

 

[idune]

Awami looting bonanza and hence another slot acquired with inflated cost nearly 3000 cr for the project. Where as China offered 2000 cr for completion of the project. Awami League can maximize stealing state fund dealing with Russians. We have seen that in mig deal, now it satellite and arms deal. Awami League stashing lots of the stolen money from bangladesh in Belarus.

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Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-The launching of the first satellite of the country, the ‘Bangabandhu 1’ will be delayed further as a revised project proposal with 9% cost reduction is set to be placed before Ecnec on Tuesday.

The deadline for the project has been extended twice from June 2015 to June 2016 and then to June 2017, reports HiFi.

Several sources however have claimed that it would have been possible to complete the project by June 2017.

“Let us see what the government tells us; we are waiting for directives,” said Sunil Kanti Bose, BTRC Chairman.

Bangladesh has previously applied for three alterative orbits slots: 102 East, 69 East and 133 East.

Sources from the Finance Ministry said that BTRC was keen on acquiring a new slot which has caused a rise in the cost of the project.

The Finance Minister, AMA Muhith, raised objections about the estimated costs earlier this year and asked the telecom regulator to revise it.

He has sent a letter to BTRC asking if it would be possible to bring down the cost to Tk. 2,500 crore from the proposed Tk. 3,253 crore.

In 2012, the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved Tk 3,253 crore for the project. But following Muhith’s objections, the BTRC drafted a revised recommendation for Tk 2,967.96 crore this March. Today’s Ecnec meeting will review the revised BTRC proposal.

In 2012, the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved Tk 3,253 crore for the project.

According to certain documents, the finance ministry is also considering other alternatives for the orbital slot and questioned the process of the satellite’s launching, maintenance, and funding.

“We have succeeded to secure our maritime rights because of the government’s good political will, whereas we are yet to secure our legitimate right in the orbital slot because of the lack of such commitment from the country’s top leadership,” said Abu Saeed Khan, a senior policy fellow of the Colombo-based regulatory think tank LIRNEasia and a former secretary of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (Amtob).

Finance ministry sources said Chinese company China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), placed a proposal in March offering to launch the satellite for less than Tk 2,000 crore. Sources also said that the ministry had also found six other funding proposals from multinational banks and firms.

The CGWIC proposal was reportedly placed by the company’s local partner Focus Consortium Limited. Zakir Hasan, chairman of Focus Consortium, refused to make any comment.

CGWIC sources have also said that the Prime Minister has asked for assistance regarding the project during her visit to China in 2010.

According to BTRC, the satellite can save at least $14m every year, which is now being paid to different foreign companies by the country’s 28 television channels for transmission.

The CGWIC proposal states that the 5.1-tonne satellite with an expected lifetime of 15 years would be launched to the orbit within 30 months.

The proposal also included a loan offer from the Chinese Exim Bank, where the Bangladesh government would have to give sovereign guarantee with 85%-95% support.

Some other proposals have reportedly also come in from the Export-Import Bank of the USA, HSBC France, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and CWG Gulf International of the UK.

But sources said the revised DPP does not mention anything about foreign investment in the project.

Earlier, in the first DPP, the BTRC drafted a projected government expenditure of Tk1,555 crore out of a total of Tk3,253 crore cost, with the rest coming from foreign sources.

Although the government is yet to reach any final decision on the DPP, the BTRC has already spent Tk 86 crore for paying consultancy fees

According to BTRC, the satellite can save at least $14m every year, which is now being paid to different foreign companies by the country’s 28 television channels for transmission.

The BTRC also claimed that 70% of the satellite’s revenue would come from neighboring countries while the rest would be from local sources.

Bangladesh’s first satellite launch to be further delayed

 

[mb444]

Why do have to buy a slot? Is it because we will operate within some kind of Russian parameters?

 

[extra terrestrial]

Why do have to buy a slot? Is it because we will operate within some kind of Russian parameters?

BTRC applied for three slots but couldn't get the license from International Telecommunication Union (ITU) due to the objections by several countries. Hence, we had to buy one from Russia.