Foreign bidders vying for satellite contract

The telecom regulator has drawn positive response from foreign companies as they bid for Tk 30 billion contract for the country's first satellite, officials said.
The officials said four companies have already collected necessary documents to participate in the international tender floated by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on March 24 this year.
"USA, China, Canada and France have already bought necessary documents from the regulator in this connection," a senior official close to the project told the FE.
Earlier, the BTRC, the project implementing body, had floated international tender to implement a geosynchronous satellite system with 40 transponders to provide quality communications and broadcasting services in the country.
The government is set to build the country's own satellite to 119.1 degree east longitude under the Bangabandhu Satellite Project by late 2017.
An official said because of obligation set by the tender rules they couldn't disclose the companies' names before tender opening on June 2.
"However, I can say all of those firms that communicated are very potential and well-known in the field of satellite building," he noted.
Talking to the FE, the commission secretary Md Sarwar Alam said they have still over a month to get more response from the aspirant firms as deadline of the application submission is June 2 this year.
According to the rules and regulations of the tender, the aspirant bidding companies must have fifteen years working experiences in manufacturing commercial satellite system.
Eligible companies from any country which has diplomatic relationship with Bangladesh could participate in the tender process until the day, paying a non-refundable amount of $ 5,000.
Mr Alam said preliminary implementation activities are in progress with the consultation of USA-based firm Space Partnership International (SPI) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The secretary said a sovereign country like Bangladesh needs its own satellite for the expected socio-economic development by reducing dependency on other nations.
He said the proposed satellite has immense economic prospects as Bangladesh could lease over 50 per cent frequency of the proposed satellite to other neighbouring countries like Bhutan and the Maldives.
The primary service area would be Bangladesh and neighbouring countries and the secondary service area would be South-East Asia, Europe, and other East African countries depending on the orbital slot.
By placing the satellite to the orbital slot, Bangladesh could save at least $ 14m every year, which is now being paid to different foreign companies by the country's private television channels for broadcasting.
"It will reduce reliance on foreign satellites for cable channels and will improve telecom services to the remote areas, collect meteorological data for disaster warnings and map natural resources," the official noted.
He said telecommunication system in Bangladesh has always been suffering from interruptions and problems as erratic disasters hit the country.
"During such emergency situation, satellite network can play an important role in ensuring uninterrupted telecommunication services in the country," he added.
Bangladesh would be the latest in a series of least developed countries that embarked on its own satellite programme.
In 2014, the telecom regulator inked an agreement with Russia-based 26-nation space company Intersputnik to get lease of orbital slot 119.1 east for a single lifetime of 15 years.
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