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Bangabandhu-1 opens a new window of opportunities

Nashir Uddin | May 16, 2018 00:00:00


Bangladesh has emerged as the 57th satellite-owning nation with the launching of the 'Bangabandhu-1' on May 12 from Florida. The 3.7-tonne satellite is now on the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP), and getting closer to its orbital slot at 119.1 degree east.

Bangabandhu-1 will be a great addition to the information and communication technology (ICT) fabric of the country. It would certainly bring revolutionary changes to the country's growing broadcasting and telecommunications industry.

The geo-stationary communication satellite will help the expansion of internet and telecom services in remote and rugged areas like Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), shoals, marshes and islands where connectivity is poor. The satellite would enhance the country's capacity in weather forecasting and monitoring that would help prepare better for facing natural disasters. It can provide dedicated emergency telecommunication services during natural disasters if all other services go offline.

Bangabandhu-1 has the potential to become a big source of earning foreign exchange. It has a capacity of 40 transponders (a transponder is a wireless communications, monitoring, or control device that picks up and automatically responds to an incoming signal). The government has a plan to rent out 20 of the transponders to intending foreign countries. The satellite is capable of covering all the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries along with Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and a part of Kazakhstan. The newly-formed Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited (BCSCL) has already begun negotiations with Indonesia and the Philippines for renting out the transponders.

Bangabandhu-1will also save foreign currency. For example, over 30 Satellite TV channels now operating in the country use rented satellite services from Singapore and other countries, which cost about $14 million yearly.

There is, however, a problem. The local TV channels have been expressing their reservations for quite some time that Bangabandhu-1's location might create some difficulties for their transmission, as it will be far in the east and hence it might not be suitable for them. But the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) says that it would collaborate with other satellites to solve the issue easily.

Internet bandwidth is yet another issue with regard to Bangabandhu-1 satellite. The country's internet service providers (ISPs) fear that the satellite's bandwidth would be more than 100 times costlier than what is now. The authorities must urgently do something to fix this problem.

Apart from the TV channels, there are 40 types of services, including ISPs, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) and wireless, which can be accessed through this satellite. It will have VSAT private networks consisting of voice, data, video and internet services for the banks, corporate offices etc. Also, Bangabandhu-1 will offer e-learning, telemedicine, family planning, farming etc., voice services to cellular backhauls, disaster recovery etc. and data services for internet, SCADA, SOHO and business-to-business links. When the satellite becomes fully operational, all types of services, including ground system of Geoscipronas Satellite System, will be available to provide telecom and broadcasting services even in some nearby countries and thereby generate some extra revenue.

The government approved the Bangabandhu-1 satellite project back in May 2015 and assigned Thales Alenia, a French company, to build it. Total cost of the satellite is Tk 29.69 billion, of which HSBC has provided Tk 15.85 billion as loan. Thales Alenia completed the manufacturing work of Bangabandhu-1 a few months ago and kept it in a warehouse in Cannes of France. It was shifted to Florida on March 29 for launching by SpaceX. Bangabandhu-1 will be controlled from two ground stations at Joydebpur of Gazipur and Betbunia of Rangamati.

The government plans to earn Tk 2.5 to 3.0 billion annually from the satellite and start making profit within six to seven years. To realise the full potential of the satellite, a group of competent professionals will be needed. Fast grooming of properly trained manpower is a must for taking full advantage of it.

As the country celebrates the launching of Bangabandhu-1, one hopes that the day is not far off when our scientists and engineers would be able to build such satellites at home.

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