Indonesian firms join RP satellite project
Indonesian firms join RP satellite project
MANILA (AFP): A consortium including Chinese and Indonesian partners said yesterday it planned to launch a Philippine satellite in 1996, two years ahead of the scheduled launch of another bird planned by a consortium of Filipino telecommunications firms.
Jacinto Paras, director of the Philippine Communications Satellite Corp. (Philcomsat), said the group includes Indonesian firms Pacific Satelit Nusantra and PT Telkom, and the China-based Everbright Group Ltd.
He said the satellite would not compete with the plans of the 16-member Agila consortium to launch its own domestic satellite by 1998 at the urging of the Philippine government.
The Philcomsat consortium also includes dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), broadcast station GMA-7, and Cable Entertainment.
Both Philcomsat and PLDT are also members of the Agila consortium, an equal partnership which has yet to select a satellite firm for the launch. Paras said Philcomsat has a 10 percent stake in the other satellite project.
Paras said the orbital slots required for the second consortium have been made available by the Indonesian firms.
"Following the principle of free enterprise, ours is a private consortium and it's a viable project so we will push through," Paras said.
The Agila consortium charged last week that the other consortium's satellite would be a direct competitor.
Paras said however that while the satellite launch by the consortium would provide domestic and regional services, it would complement Agila since the 16 telecoms players involved would be required to come up with six million to seven million lines under their agreement with the National Telecommunications Commission.
"This demand alone will already consume transponder space so Agila is still viable," he said.
The Philippine-Indonesian-Chinese consortium has yet to determine what steps it will take following the Agila consortium's rejection of the seven percent equity in their regional satellite.
Manila is seeking free transponder space on the Agila satellite in exchange for applying for an orbital slot, something only governments are empowered to do. Their application for this slot is still pending.
The Philippines currently leases space on Indonesia's satellite.