Telkom to bid for new satellite this month

The Jakarta Post  

The country’s largest telecommunication company, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) will be bidding for a new satellite this month at an expected cost of between US$ 150 million and $200 million. 

The satellite, which will be called Telkom-3 Satellite, is expected to be launched into orbit in 2010 or 2011. 

"The bidding process will begin this month or after Idul Fitri (Muslim festivity)," president director of PT Telkom Rinaldi Firmansyah told state news agency Antara on Saturday. 

According to Rinaldi, the satellite will have 48 transponders and 14 of them or 30-40 percent will be commercialized while the remaining 24 units will be utilized to strengthen the capacity of PT Telkom's telecommunication services. 

"The funds to develop the Telkom-3 Satellite are expected to come from the company's own treasury and be part of the company's annual capital expenditures," he said. 

The Telkom-3 Satellite needs to be developed to meet the increasing demand for transponders in order to expand Tekom Group services such as the supply of terrestrial lines and an optic-fiber network connection. 

The Telkom-3 Satellite is also expected to be used to meet the needs of external parties such as the military and state-owned companies. 

PT Telkom is currently operating its Telkom-2 Satellite worth 150 million US dollars, which was launched on November 12, 2005, by an Ariane-5 rocket owned by ArieneSpace company in Kouroue, Guyana, France. 

He said that companies which usually produce satellites are those from the United States, Europe, China and Japan such as Lockheed Martin, Alcatel, OCbital, GreatWall, and Mitsubishi. 

"The Engineering plan will cover a decision on a system to be applied, including the satellite's capacity, fuel and battery, until the orbit period has been completed. We just wait for the bidding process," he said. 

The Telkom-3 Satellite's orbital slot will be located at 118.0'E. Ro17.