Indonesia secures 20 satellite slots

Indonesia secures 20 satellite slots

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's satellite business has shown
significant growth since its establishment in 1976. The country
has thus far secured a total of 20 slots for its satellites in
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) orbits.

Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave said
that Indonesia has conducted slot coordination with several
countries, including Russia, which will place their satellites
along with Indonesia. This coordination was established in a
meeting in Moscow last month.

Indonesia is seeking to secure, at least, 24 slots for its
satellites, including eight of the Palapa-B generation, four of
Palapa-C generation, four Palapa Pacific Satellites, four Garuda
Satellites and four Indostar Satellites.

Director General of Post and Telecommunications Djakaria
Purawidjaja said last week that Indonesia should arrange the slot
coordination or lose a slot when the launching of a certain
satellite is delayed.

"Quarrels over a slot may occur if a country fails to launch
its satellite on the right schedule and the country can't give
any explanation. Such a problem happened in 1993 when Indonesia
and Tonga disputed over the 134 eastern degree slot."

It was PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) which moved Palapa
Pacific 1, the ex-Palapa-B 1 satellite, into the slot before
Tonga's ex-Russian satellite. The two countries then agreed to
compromise on radio-operating bands for the slot and a
partnership over a second slot.

Indonesia is now preparing the launching of the Palapa-C
series, the third generation of the country's telecommunications
satellites, after orbiting the Palapa-A 1 and Palapa-A 2 in 1976
and 1977 respectively. The lifetime of the Palapa-A satellites
was seven years, with the latest one ending in 1983.

In 1983, Indonesia started to launch the first of its second
generation satellites, the Palapa-B 1, from Cape Canaveral in the
United States to replace the Palapa-A 1 satellite. Palapa-B 2,
which was launched in 1982 to support Palapa-B 1, failed to reach
its orbit. Palapa-B 2P was then launched in 1987 to replace
Palapa-B 2. In 1990, Palapa-B 2R was launched to replace Palapa-B
1.

The last of the Palapa-B satellites, the Palapa-B 4, was
launched in 1992 as a substitute for the Palapa-B 2R.

Indonesia is currently operating three satellites, Palapa-B
2P, Palapa-B 2R and Palapa-B 4.

Superior

The Palapa-C satellites, the third generation manufactured by
the Hughes of the United States, are superior to the earlier
Palapa-A and Palapa-B series in coverage, power and flexibility.

Each of Palapa-C satellites has 34 transponders and the
Palapa-B only 24. PT Satelit Palapa Indonesia (Satelindo), a join
venture between DeTeMobil of Germany, PT Telkom, PT Indosat and
Bimantara Group will manage satellites of the Palapa-C
generation.

Palapa-C 1 is scheduled for launching in early 1996 by Atlas
of the United States and Palapa-C 2 by Arianespace of France
about six months later.

While Palapa-C satellites are in the orbit, the
operating Palapa-B satellites will be acquired by PSN. It bought
the expired Palapa-B 1 in 1991 and renamed it Palapa Pacific 1.

Meanwhile, Asia Cellular Satellite System (ACeS), a
telecommunications firm equally owned by three telecommunications
companies from Indonesia (PSN), Thailand (Jasmine) and the
Philippines (PLDT), will also operate four geo-stationary
satellites to be called the Garuda, whose slots have been also
filed at ITU by the Indonesian government.

Other satellites to be operated by Indonesia include the
Indostar satellites of PT Matahari Lintas Cakrawala, which will
provide direct broadcast television services within the Southeast
Asian region. Indostar 1 will be launched in late 1996 or early
1997 by Arianespace. (icn)