Satellite deal Nov 11

The telecom regulator will sign a deal with Thales Alenia Space on November 11, awarding the French company a work order for commercial satellite Bangabandhu. Officials of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and local representatives of Thales Alenia have confirmed the signing date.

Top officials of Thales Alenia are already in town and are fine-tuning the terms and conditions with the regulator, said a senior official of BTRC.

The company will be responsible for building the satellite; launching vehicle services; buying and maintaining ground control station equipment; constructing two ground stations; insuring; and meeting primary operation costs for the next three years, according to tender documents.

The company will also arrange 85 percent of foreign financing for the project.

On October 20, the cabinet purchase committee approved a proposal in favour of Thales Alenia at a price of $248 million (about Tk 1,951 crore), which will be used for telecommunication and broadcast purposes, as all other participants became non-responsive during the bidding process.

Two US companies Boeing and Orbital, Canada's MDA Corporation and Chinese company China Great Wall Industry Corporation were all running for the bid initially.

While the total cost of the satellite is about Tk 2,967.95 crore, some Tk 1,652.44 crore will come from foreign loans and the government will pay Tk 1,315.51 crore. The government wants to launch the satellite on December 16, 2017, marking the country's 45th Victory Day, said a senior official of BTRC.

On January 15, the government purchased a 119.1 east longitude orbital slot from Russia-based Intersputnik for 15 years at a cost of Tk 218.96 crore.