Bulgarian DTH operator Bulsatcom has secured its first dedicated satellite after its Bulgaria Sat affiliate ordered a Balkan-focused bird from US-based Space Systems Loral.
The BulgariaSat-1 project, to be launched by California’s SpaceX in 2016, is…
Bulgarian DTH operator Bulsatcom has secured its first dedicated satellite after its Bulgaria Sat affiliate ordered a Balkan-focused bird from US-based Space Systems Loral.
The BulgariaSat-1 project, to be launched by California’s SpaceX in 2016, is being backed by US export credit agency Ex-Im during a critical time for the bank, which is waiting to hear whether its mandate will be renewed by lawmakers in the coming weeks.
It will be based on SSL’s 1300 platform and equipped with two Ku-band FSS and 30 Ku-band BSS transponders.
SSL president John Celli said: “SSL has a long history of working with both large established satellite operators and newer ventures to provide highly reliable satellites for today’s advanced services.
“It has been a pleasure to help Bulgaria Sat reach this milestone of ordering its first satellite, which will help expand connectivity in the region, bringing the latest in up-to-date information and entertainment.”
Bulsatcom also operates telecoms services in Bulgaria and recently said it was looking to secure a separate €85m (US$113m) debt package, including a €20m loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), to upgrade its terrestrial infrastructure.
Izzet Guney, EBRD’s director for ICT, told SatelliteFinance in an interview last month that it is able to be involved in that financing because it is tied to the entity providing broadband, and not the one procuring a satellite for DTH, although it marked the bank’s first deal to have “some type of involvement” in the area.
Details of the support Ex-Im is providing for the satellite element has not been disclosed.
The US bank faces pressure from political critics who argue that its work favours corporate giants over small local businesses, and a decision on its future is due before the end of September.
Bulsatcom currently broadcasts from the Greek Hellas-Sat 2 that was launched in 2003 and last year came under Saudi Arabia-based Arabsat’s ownership.
Bulgaria has a crowded DTH market that also sees Vivacom TV and local telco Neterra’s recently-launched W1.
Vivacom recently contacted the country’s Commission on Protection of Competition about acquiring National Unit Radio and TV Systems Digital, a local DTT provider.
The country’s first satellite was called Bulgaria 1300, a science spacecraft that was launched in 1981 under the Soviet Union’s Interkosmos programme for the Bulgarian Space Agency.
