Philippines to launch first satellite in 1996

Philippines to launch first satellite in 1996

MANILA (AFP): The government and a private consortium of
telecommunications firms have signed an agreement on the
conditions for the launch of the Philippines' first satellite by
the end of 1996, the transportation department said yesterday.

Under the accord signed with the 16 companies, the consortium
will have exclusive rights to provide satellite space segments to
Philippine users within the satellite's footprint for 10 years.

Those under existing contracts with other satellite systems
will be required to use the Philippine satellite after the
expiration of their contracts, the department said in a
statement.

The consortium, which includes telecommunications giant
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), agreed to give the
government one transponder free of charge for its exclusive use
for non-commercial purposes.

However, the consortium may lease or rent the pod when not in
use by Manila. The government will also be given the right of
first refusal to another transponder in the satellite, if
available.

The government applied last month for four orbital slots with
the Geneva-based International Telecommunications Union, but has
yet to choose a company to launch the satellite which is expected
to cost US$200 million.

The government, which is the only agency empowered to apply
for an orbital slot, had been insisting that the consortium grant
them one free transponder in return but the private firms had
previously been reluctant to do this.

The Philippines presently rents space on the Indonesian
satellite.

Transportation department officials previously said
Arianespace of France, Pan American Satellite of the United
States, the Great Wall group of China, and Global Information
Systems of Russia have all made offers to launch the satellite.