The telecom regulator will sign a deal with Thales Alenia Space on
November 11, awarding the French company a work order for commercial
satellite Bangabandhu. Officials of Bangladesh Telecommunication
Regulatory Commission and local representatives of Thales Alenia have
confirmed the signing date.
Top officials of Thales Alenia are already in town and are
fine-tuning the terms and conditions with the regulator, said a senior
official of BTRC.
The company will be responsible for building the satellite; launching
vehicle services; buying and maintaining ground control station
equipment; constructing two ground stations; insuring; and meeting
primary operation costs for the next three years, according to tender
documents.
The company will also arrange 85 percent of foreign financing for the project.
On October 20, the cabinet purchase committee approved a proposal in
favour of Thales Alenia at a price of $248 million (about Tk 1,951
crore), which will be used for telecommunication and broadcast purposes,
as all other participants became non-responsive during the bidding
process.
Two US companies Boeing and Orbital, Canada's MDA Corporation and
Chinese company China Great Wall Industry Corporation were all running
for the bid initially.
While the total cost of the satellite is about Tk 2,967.95 crore,
some Tk 1,652.44 crore will come from foreign loans and the government
will pay Tk 1,315.51 crore. The government wants to launch the satellite
on December 16, 2017, marking the country's 45th Victory Day, said a
senior official of BTRC.
On January 15, the government purchased a 119.1 east longitude
orbital slot from Russia-based Intersputnik for 15 years at a cost of Tk
218.96 crore.
