Eutelsat Asia has signed an agreement with Space Tech Innovation Limited (STI), a subsidiary of Thailand-based Thaicom Public Company Limited. This partnership relates to the new satellite to be launched at the orbital slot of 119.5 degrees East. Under the agreement, Eutelsat is committed to leasing and operating the service for 50 per cent of the satellite capacity during its lifetime of 16 years. Thaicom is currently finalising the procurement process of the satellite.
Thaicom’s new satellite is a new generation of broadband software-defined high throughput satellites (HTS). According to the company, it will allow flexibility and instant reconfiguration to adapt dynamically to the service areas and will provide a significant confidence boost for the company’s valued customers and partners throughout Asia Pacific. The software-defined HTS’s performance will assure an unparalleled quality of service to enable end-to-end service solutions.
Commenting on the partnership, Patompob (Nile) Suwansiri, chief executive officer (CEO), Thaicom, said, “I am very delighted that we have secured a long-term partnership with Eutelsat, one of the largest global satellite operators in the world. This partnership is strategic for our new satellite project at the orbital slot of 119.5 degrees East as it not only provides a long-term and secure utilisation of 50 per cent of our new satellite, but more importantly, it will create synergies between the two organisations to capture new growth opportunities in the future. This is an important milestone for Thaicom as we continue our journey to be a leading space tech company in the region.”
Meanwhile, Eva Berneke, CEO, Eutelsat Communications, said, “This strategic partnership with Thaicom to leverage the 119.5 degrees East position, perfectly located to address the entire Asian region, represents a great opportunity for Eutelsat as well as an innovative investment approach. We are confident in Thaicom’s experience as a leading satellite operator in Asia with over 30 years of experience in the industry and its expertise in the Asia-Pacific market. This new generation satellite, fully compatible with our future LEO-GEO offer will enable Eutelsat to address the dynamic growth in connectivity demand in the region.”
