As part of the country’s first-ever Bangabandhu Satellite-1 market expansion efforts abroad, a good number of responses from foreign countries are piled up, knocking at the satellite company’s door. One of the responses has come from Nepalese Direct to Home Service Provider Company which is interested to purchase five transponders of BS-1. Another company from the Philippines has also showed interest to purchase four transponders from the satellite, confirmed the satellite officials.
Sources said, to rent capacity, negotiation has already been finalized, now the authority concerned is waiting for finalizing the rent rate.
The hill-surrounded country Nepal does not have any satellites of its own, four foreign satellite owned countries at present are continuing their services there. As a result, price negotiation has become one of the major concerns for renting transponders there.
According to sources, to compete with other global satellite service provider companies, Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited (BCSCL), tasked with operating the country’s first-ever satellite in history, may have to sell its capacities at a lower price. The BCSCL officials said, to seize the global market, offering a lower price to other satellites is vital for the country. In the country, the BSCSL rents per megahertz capacity at $3500 per month, but for Nepal, the rent would be $2500, as the country is already managing satellite services for $2000.
However, the country’s television companies were used to pay rent $4500 per capacity to Star Alliances before. On the other hand, as the satellite is located at the 119.1° East longitude geostationary slot, the Philippines and its neighboring countries are getting the better footprint of the satellite. To capture these countries' satellite business, the country has already established a ground station there. More than seven satellite companies are now operating their businesses in the Philippines, and this will be more competitive for the country to get business there.
BSCSL chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmud while talking to journalists recently said the country has a huge demand for satellite services. “Earlier we had the plan to use half of the total capacity inside the country and the rest half will be rented, but now we have moved aside from such decision as there is huge demand of satellite service inside our country”, added Dr Shahjahan. Of the total 40 transponders, 26 percent capacity has already been sold out. From this month, the BCSCL started earning Tk 10 crore.