Viet Nam’s first telecommunications satellite, Vinasat-1, is operating at about 30% of its capacity for commercial and trial services, according to satellite operator, the VNPT Group.

Vinasat-1 went into orbit on May 22 of last year and went into operation eight days later, after its formal hand-over by manufacturer Lockheed Martin to VNPT.

In addition to domestic clients such as radio and television stations, oil and gas businesses, telecom service providers, ministries and agencies, a number of customers from Thailand, Singapore and Laos are utilising services provided by Vinasat-1, said Le Thanh Nam, deputy director of Viet Nam Telecom International (VTI), a subsidiary of VNPT.

VTI is negotiating to offer Vinasat-1 services in the Asia-Pacific with such foreign partners as Thailand’s Thaicom and Singapore’s Protostar. It has already signed a training contract with Luxembourg satellite firm SES ASTRA, a memorandum of understanding on business co-operation and exchange of capacity with Hong Kong’s Asia Broadcast Satellite, and an additional MoU with the US’s Universal Telecom Services on the sale of Vinasat-1 frequency bands.

The US$200 million satellite’s range covers South and Southeast Asia and Australia with a prospective life span of 26 years. The satellite is able to provide more than 200 digital television channels and tens of thousands of internet data transmission and telephone channels via two ground-control centres in Ha Noi and the southern province of Binh Duong. (VNS)