Satelindo seeks global satellite projects
Satelindo seeks global satellite projects
JAKARTA (JP): PT Satelit Palapa Indonesia (Satelindo), a private telecommunications operator, plans to establish partnerships in several global satellite telecommunications projects.
The company's president, Iwa Sewaka, said that his company would court the projects offering the biggest benefits to Satelindo.
Iwa said last week that it was Satelindo's long-term plan to participate in integrated global communication systems developed by international consortiums.
There are currently several global satellite projects with plans to launch satellite-based telecommunications systems. The multibillion dollar projects Iridium, Odyssey, Globalstar, Teledisc and Inmarsat P will begin operating within the next five or six years.
Iridium, led by American Motorola, plans to spend US$4 billion on a telephone network with 66 satellites to be sent into orbit starting in 1998. The initial stage of the global network will have the capacity to serve 1.5 million mobile telephones and 500,000 international pagers.
Another American project, the Globalstar system, plans to launch 48 low-orbit satellites to provide worldwide telephone and other digital communication services. Current investors in the project include France Telecom and Alcatel of France, Germany Deutsche Aerospace, Dacom and Hyundai of Korea, and AirTouch Communications and Qualcomm of the United States.
Odyssey, a consortium established by TRW from the U.S. and Canada's Teleglobe, also plans to operate 12 satellites in the medium-earth orbit. The project is expected to commence by 2000.
Apart from Iridium, Globalstar and Odyssey, the International Maritime Satellite (Inmarsat) organization is planning a similar project, called Inmarsat P. It will use 10 satellites.
"We will first propose to global satellite operators to establish a central gateway in Indonesia. If the business has prospects, we will join them as shareholders," Iwa said,
He refused to name which project Satelindo is most interested in joining, saying that the choice would be based on the satellite coverage.
It would be most beneficial if the project had a global operation, instead of covering only the Asia-Pacific region, he added.
Satelindo, which provides international telecommunications calls, satellite and cellular telephone services, has signed an accord with PT Asian Cellular System (ACeS) to provide ACeS services in Indonesia.
ACeS, owned equally by PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara of Indonesia, Philippines Long Distance Telephone Co. and Jasmine International Public Co. Ltd. of Thailand, will introduce an Asia-wide cellular mobile telecommunications system in 1998. It will have four geostationary satellites called Garuda.
According to Iwa, Satelindo also plans to participate in more fiber optic submarine cable projects developed by international consortiums.
He said that Satelindo had now been involved in the Asia- Pacific cable Network, Fiber Optic Around the Globe (FLAG), and the Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 3.
Satelindo, in cooperation with the Britain-based Mercury, had 30 circuits worth $400,000 in FLAG, Iwa said. (icn)