Telkom satellite launch delayed again

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

State telecommunications firm PT Telkom has had to postpone the launch of its new satellite, Telkom-2, for another two months to mid-June, company officials say.

Telkom president director Kristiono said on Tuesday that since the launch would use a dual-passenger spacecraft, it had to wait for another satellite, the Syracuse IIA from the French Defense Ministry, to be completed.

"Our satellite is ready, but our co-passenger is not," Kristiono told reporters.

The launch has been postponed more than four times, according to the firm's communications coordinator Mundarwiyarso.

The new satellite, with 24 transponders and an in-orbit life of 15 years, is meant to boost the firm's network quality as well as to capitalize on increasing use of satellites in Asia.

Telkom-2, which will cost about $123 million in construction and launching expenses, was last scheduled to blast off from Kourou in French Guyana, South America, on an Ariane 5 spacecraft this month to replace the Palapa B4 satellite.

The Palapa B4 was supposed to be replaced three years ago. However, Telkom took steps to increase its lifespan.

"(The loss) is nothing compared to the billions of rupiah in income we receive each month (from leasing out the satellite)," said Kristiono.

Besides running Palapa B4 with 24 transponders, Telkom also operates Telkom-1, which was launched in 1999 and has 36 transponders and a useful life of 15 years.

The company, which is currently the second biggest satellite provider in Southeast Asia, occupies 46 transponders on both satellites. The other transponders are leased to 12 operators of very small aperture terminals (VSAT), nine national television stations, three local television stations, and foreign leaseholders such as Reuters and NHK.

The price for one transponder is about $1.1 million a year.