Indonesia strong in the sky in regional 'Star Wars'

By I. Christianto

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, with its two decades of experience in satellite telecommunications technology, will undoubtedly maintain its dominance in the satellite business in the Asia- Pacific region in the coming years.

In mid 1970's, along with the United States and Canada, Indonesia was among the first countries to operate its own communications satellites.

Now Indonesia has six satellites in orbit, including the Palapa B2R and B4, the Palapa C1 and C2, and Cakrawarta.

Competition in the satellite business is becoming fiercer in the region, with many newcomers entering the market. It is just like the commercial version of "Star Wars".

Satellite operators in Indonesia include state-owned PT Telkom, privately owned PT Satelindo and PT PSN.

The government has also granted several other companies licenses to operate satellites, including PT Datakom Asia which recently launched its Cakrawarta satellite; PT ACeS with its planned Garuda satellite system; and PT M2A with its M2A satellite to be launched in 2000.

In the meantime, China, the Philippines, Thailand, India, Korea and Malaysia have also launched spacecraft -- intensifying the competition.

Beyond that, the well-established Inmarsat and Intelsat are still the foremost players in the Asia-Pacific region.

However, Indonesia will be operating the most multifarious satellite systems of any country in the region.

Telkom's Telkom 1 will be launched in the next few years as a communications satellite. It is being built by Lockheed Martin. Cakrawarta satellite is a direct-to-home satellite and the Palapa C series are satellites for communications and broadcasting services.

When operated in the next few years, the Garuda and M2A satellite systems will enrich the variety of spacecraft operated by Indonesia. The Garuda and M2A satellite systems are designated for regional satellite-based cellular telecommunications and multimedia services respectively.

Secretary-general of the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Jonathan L. Parapak said private firms played an important role in developing the country's telecommunications industry, and satellite networks would be a promising business in domestic and regional markets.

He said the government might grant more licenses to companies intending to operate satellites.

"Why not (give more satellite licenses) if it's necessary and since there are still satellite slots available? We can penetrate overseas markets like China, India, Australia and so on. Don't just think about domestic competition in the satellite business."

In the meantime, the government has asked for 24 satellite slots at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and is waiting for further approval.

Booming

The satellite business in Asia will continue to boom, despite the economic crisis. Transponder availability is now over 500.

Industry sources say the number of transponders of commercial satellites in the region will double in less than five years.

Official data shows that Asia has just one transponder for every seven million inhabitants compared to a density of one per million in the United States and one for every 300,000 in Europe.

Indonesia has also played a significant role in preventing "paper satellites" at international forums.

Paper satellite is a term that describes a party which books satellite slots at ITU but fails to launch any satellites after several years.

In a recent ITU meeting focusing on frequency in Geneva, Indonesia, represented by Parapak, proposed ITU require any party asking for a satellite slot in orbit give a launch deadline.

"This is to prevent a serious party losing the chance of having a satellite slot. The sky is very limited," he said.

He said the idea had been approved and would be adopted soon.

"Actually we also proposed that ITU require financial statements from any party asking for a slot. But the proposal has been rejected as many parties think that it will be hard for developing nations to do so," he said.

Indonesia has been proving its expertise in satellite operations and technology.

But it still depends on overseas space agencies to make and launch its satellites.

The government had plans to pursue a feasibility study of establishing a rocket launching center in Indonesia.

It felt the time has come for Indonesia to have its own rocket launching center.

The minister of tourism, post and telecommunications said that another nation had offered to cooperate in the construction of such a center in the eastern part of Indonesia.

"The best place for such a center is a thinly populated place surrounded by water," he said.

But the idea has never been realized.

Indonesia usually launches its satellites from Cape Canaveral in Florida, the U.S. (by Atlas rockets), or from Kourou in French Guiana (by Ariane rockets). Indonesia has also used Proton rockets to launch the ACeS satellite from Kazakhstan.