Vietnam will launch Vinasat satellite in early 2006

"Ready to receive waves from satellites" The Prime Minister has just officially approved an investment project to launch Vinasat telecommunications satellite. After many delays, Vietnam has restarted the first Vinasat satellite project. Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation (VNPT) said that it is expected that in early 2006 this satellite will be launched.

Covering Vietnam and ASEAN

The total investment cost for construction of Vinasat projects is about 270 million USD. According to the evaluation of telecommunications experts, at the state perspective, the project carries a lot of meaning from the economy to meet the needs of politics and society . The project is expected to be constructed. many ministries, such as television, aviation, oil and gas . depending on the needs of each ministry, branch and unit. For example, in the field of television, Vinasat will help Vietnam Television to ensure coverage of 100% of the regions in the country, including the concave areas, remote areas, but now the radio waves still cannot be reached. must have a relay station.

With VNPT alone, the unit is assigned by the Prime Minister to set up a bidding plan and after being appraised by relevant ministries and branches and approved by the Prime Minister, it will be implemented directly if the project is completed. The city will bring great economic benefits.

Enterprises under VNPT promise to enjoy the most favorable conditions when the project is completed as International Telecommunications Company (VTI). According to Mr. Ho Cong Lam - Deputy Director of VTI, now, the need for use VTI's bandwidth usage is quite large for many areas of operation such as securing communications in remote areas; then build IP VSAT system; responding to the frequency of service channels for domestic customers . These demands require VTI to also set aside a transponder to be able to respond (each transponder corresponds to nearly 500 channels). phone). Because VTI still has to hire foreign countries, every year VTI has to spend millions of dollars only for hiring.

Vinasat is characterized by a medium-sized geostationary satellite device containing about 25 to 30 transponders, which is expected to serve the main domestic demand and will cover the whole territory of Vietnam and some of the domestic Southeast Asia (ASEN). This is the first time Vietnam has built a national satellite of its own, which will be able to meet the needs of domestic units and support the integration and integration in the ASEAN region. Although the economic efficiency of this project has not yet been calculated, Mr. Lam affirmed that VTI will significantly reduce the cost of renting foreign bandwidth as currently when Vinasat satellite officially goes into operation. dynamic.

Remaining work: defining coordinates and bidding

The benefits are greatly appreciated but the current project implementation is also facing some difficulties. According to Mr. Doan Quang Hoan, Deputy Director of the Department of Radio Frequency, the unit under the Ministry of Post and Telematics undertakes frequency coordination and completes international legal procedures on Vietnam's sovereignty over With a position of 132 degrees East, the biggest problem today is the difficulty of negotiating satellite coordinates with the island nation of Tonga.

Previously, the project of launching Vinasat satellite of Vietnam was delayed many times because of the fact that we have not had agreement with the other two countries in determining coordinates. Vietnam's satellite launch is located at 132 degrees East, but Tonga and another unnamed country are also entitled to launch satellites in two coordinates very close to Vietnam, 130 degrees East and 134 degrees East. However, despite not agreeing with Vietnam, these two countries have not launched a satellite so far. Mr. Hoan said, the Ministry of Posts and Telematics is determined to solve the orbit negotiation issue for satellites later this year.

Meanwhile, a leader of the Vinasat Project Preparation Board of VNPT said that the plan to launch satellites and other preparations depends heavily on bidding plans and equipment technology selection. The leader also added that as long as the Radio Frequency Department has confirmed that it is ready to determine the official coordinates for the satellite, VNPT will complete the bidding work by the end of November. According to the plan, in 2006 Vinasat satellite launched will create a breakthrough for Vietnam's telecommunications and television technology.