Thai satellite operator Thaicom has been awarded a licence to operate the Thaicom-7/AsiaSat-6 satellite it plans to launch in early 2014, SatelliteFinance has confirmed.
The type-3 licence, which was issued by Thailand’s National Broadcasting and…
Thai satellite operator Thaicom has been awarded a licence to operate the Thaicom-7/AsiaSat-6 satellite it plans to launch in early 2014, SatelliteFinance has confirmed.
The type-3 licence, which was issued by Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), will enable Thaicom to pre-sell transponder bandwidth capacity on the satellite.
The Thai operator was reportedly the only company to have applied for such a licence, which was open to businesses that are no more than 49.99%-owned by foreign entities.
Thaicom is currently 41.14%-controlled by local conglomerate Shin Corp, which in turn is majority-owned by Singapore’s investment arm Temasek.
In May, Dumrong Kasemset, a former CEO of Thaicom, filed a lawsuit against Shin Corp over the ownership of Thaicom, in an alleged attempt to have Thaicom fully back in Thai hands. A first hearing on the case is scheduled for 16 July.
Thaicom’s AsiaSat-6/Thaicom-7 satellite is being jointly developed with Hong Kong-based AsiaSat.
Under their partnership, AsiaSat is responsible for designing, constructing and launching the bird. Thaicom, in return for bearing some of the project’s cost, will own some of its transponders. For its part, Thaicom has agreed to pay AsiaSat an undisclosed amount twice a year throughout Thaicom-7/AsiaSat-6’s operational life.
The companies expect the satellite’s total cost, including its launcher, insurance, and ground system, will reach around US$171m.
The bird will be launched to 120E, where it will cover Asia and Australia with 28 high-power C-band transponders.
Rights to this orbital slot are due to expire in October this year, but the position is currently being held by an interim satellite that Thaicom reportedly aims to also obtain a licence for.
Separately, NBTC expects to finalise regulations for two other types of satellite licences this July. One will allow companies to provide uplink/downlink services, and the other will authorise capacity resellers, reported Thai daily The Nation.
Applicants for NBTC’s uplink/downlink licence will also need to obtain their own spectrum. However, the committee has yet to decide how to auction these frequencies, added the report.
