Bangladesh inks contract with French firm to join club of satellite owning nations

by Naim-Ul-Karim
DHAKA, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) — Bangladesh has been emerging as the youngest member of the global club of satellite owning nations as the country Wednesday signed a 19.51 billion taka (about 248 million U.S. dollars) deal with a French firm.
Shahjahan Mahmood, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), and Jean-Loïc Galle, president and chief executive officer of the French firm Thales Alenia Space, signed the deal on behalf of their respective sides here in capital Dhaka on Wednesday.
Officials say Bangladesh’s first-ever satellite “Bangabandhu-1” will also have its coverage on the eight South Asian countries, Indonesia, the Philippines and STAN countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan).
Bangladesh’s highest economic policy-making body, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council, on Oct. 20 approved the 248-million U.S. dollars (19.51-billion-taka) Bangabandhu Satellite project in favor of the French firm.
Speaking at the contract signing ceremony, Bangladeshi State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim said, “This contract is the final step towards fulfillment of our long cherished dream of launching the first satellite of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Satellite-1.”
“I feel proud to mention that with the launch of the Bangladesh Satellite Bangladesh will become the 57the member of the exclusive club of satellite owning countries.”
Besides entering into a new age of space based communications, she said the satellite will bring new services like DTH with over 150 channels of high quality sports, movies and news channels, social programs like eLearning, Telemedicine, Emergency communications during disaster recovery etc.
It will help to fulfill the government’s initiatives to bring the communications and broadcast facilities to every person and in all corners of Bangladesh even where the terrestrial wireless and optical fiber communication is feasible, she added.
“After launching of our own satellite, we’ll be able to earn more foreign exchange from transponder lease to other countries in the region cover by the footprint.”
In his welcome speech, BTRC Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood said that the satellite will be launched on Dec. 16, 2017, marking the country’s 45th Victory Day.
The Bangladeshi government in January this year purchased a 119.1 east longitude orbital slot from Russia-based Intersputnik for 15 years at a cost of 2.18 (about 28 million U.S. dollars).
Four international companies — Great Wall Industry Corporation of China, Canadian MDA Corporation, Thales Alenia Space, and Orbital ATK from USA — participated in the tender process of the installation and post-installation support services for launching Bangladesh’s first-ever satellite in June this year.
The Bangladeshi government finally decided awarded the French firm the 248 million USD project.
“We’re committed to complete the project on time,” said Jean-Loïc Galle, president and chief executive officer of the French firm Thales Alenia Space.  Enditem