Alcatel clinches $115m project
JAKARTA (JP): French telecommunications giant Alcatel has won a US$115 million contract from Multi Media Asia Indonesia (MMAI) to develop the ground segment of Multi Media Asia (M2A), a multimedia satellite network.
Under the agreement, Alcatel will design and deliver one network control system, a national gateway, three regional gateway stations, six local minigateways and 1,000 preproduction subscribers' terminals before the end of 1999.
On Saturday, MMAI's Chief Executive Officer Adi R. Adiwoso said that the selection of Alcatel for the ground segment of M2A was an important step in the ultimate rollout of the network.
"A key success factor of M2A is our ability to provide this integrated package of services at an affordable cost to the Asian people. Alcatel is uniquely capable of meeting our ambitious cost targets while also delivering products incorporating the latest technologies," he said.
The M2A satellite is a new generation spacecraft which will deliver high debit data transfer. It will be the first satellite- based system to provide major telecommunications services as an adjunct to the public-switched telephone network.
The M2A satellite, designed and produced by Space Systems/Loral of the United States and its major subcontractor Alcatel Espace of France, will provide services to 400,000 subscribers in Indonesia over the course of its initial phase.
After the initial service rollout, additional gateway stations will be added at a rapid pace to provide service to four million subscribers throughout Asia in the final configurations.
The satellite is designed to exploit the successful flight- proven FS-1300 spacecraft bus from Loral, providing 10.4 kilowatts of power with a 12-year mission life.
The satellite, expected to provide telephone, data and figure communications, television and other telecommunications services, is scheduled to be launched by the first quarter of 1999, and be operational by the middle of that year.
MMAI is a subsidiary of PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) and publicly listed PT Indosat, the primary provider of international telecommunication services in Indonesia.
PSN is the first private satellite company in Indonesia and is focused on becoming a fully integrated provider of satellite- based telecommunications products and services in Asia.
Alcatel, the telecom segment of Alcatel Alsthom, designs, manufactures and markets complete telecommunications systems. With operations in over 130 countries, the company booked sales of US$13.65 billion last year. (gis)