Govt. plans feasibility study for placing satellite

KATHMANDU, AUG --The government of late has showed urgency to place its own satellite in the orbital slot allocated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). After nearly 30 years of the slot allocation, the Ministry of Information and Communications is preparing to hire a consultant and carry out feasibility study.

ITU, the UN body for information and communication technologies has made it mandatory for Nepal to claim the slot by 2015 to keep the satellite, according to the Communications Ministry. Nepal was allocated 50 degree east and 123.3 degree east orbital slots in the space for placing the satellite in 1984 by the ITU.

A five member committee lead by Narayan Sanjel, joint secretary at the Communications Ministry is carrying out study regarding the method and work place for the feasibility study hiring a consultant. The budget for the current fiscal year 2013-14 has also announced to conduct the study to set up own satellite in the space. The budget has not talked about the resource required for the study, however; it is estimated that the study would require around Rs 100 million.

The feasibility study would determine the investment required, business model for commercial purpose and report its importance for enhancing broadcasting, national defence, telecommunications sector and weather forecasting among others. Even as the ITU allocated orbital slot to Nepal in 1984, the government had not showed seriousness to the satellite issue.

“Even as the country was allocated the slot long time ago, the government has not been able to utilise it,” said Mahesh Prasad Adhikari, board member of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA). He said that the Communications Ministry initiated the effort to secure the slot from being lapsed.

Earlier, even as the NTA had planned to study the utilisation of the domestic satellite, it had not been possible for the lack of coordination between the NTA and Communications Ministry. Now, the Communications Ministry plans to select a space satellite consultant and start feasibility study within a year.

Anup Nepal, deputy secretary at the Communications and a member of the government study team said that they would submit their study report within two weeks underlining the move to be taken by the government for satellite affairs. “We have to at least start preparation to place the satellite and inform the ITU by 2015 to reserve the space allotted,” he added.

Since the requirement for investment in satellite is too huge, investment models for inviting international investors to launch the satellite, share the capacity and revenue with the government will also be suggested by the study. Nepal said that their preliminary study had shown that it would take around seven years to bring the satellite into full operation after the launch.

The cost to launch the country’s own satellite is estimated to cost around US$ 350 million and requires operation commitment for 20-25 years, the Communications Ministry officials say. Each year, Nepal reported to have been spending around US$ 25 million for leasing the transponder space of international satellites having foot prints in Nepal mainly for broadcasting services.

China Sat and China Star of China, Asia Sat of Hong Kong and Thaicom of Thailand are some of the satellite from which Nepali companies are taking the satellite service. From South Asia, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have already placed their satellites in the space. Bangladesh is also preparing to sent it own satellite.