Country's first geostationary communication satellite Bangabandhu-I is now ready for commercial operation after getting satisfactory results from all technical tests.
Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited (BCSCL) Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood came up with statement while talking to BSS on Monday.
He said French manufacturing company Thales Alenia Space already handed over the control of the satellite preliminarily to the project officials of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
Before the handover of the satellite, the manufacturing company conducted final technical test during the solar eclipse on September 21 and got satisfactory results.
Thales handed over the Bangabandhu-I to the project officials of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the project office. BTRC project officials will give the control to BCSCL, a state-owned company formed to operate the satellite.
BCSCL Chairman said they are hopeful of getting full control by the first week of October.
The trial broadcast of Bangabandhu-I was 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 27.65 billion.
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.
According to BSS, BCSCL has international consultancy firm Thaicom for two years to run marketing and sale of the connectivity of Bangabandhu-I in six countries.
The Thai firm is currently active in around 20 countries.
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.