Vietnam to Offer Satellite Services Abroad

Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)

[Xinhua: "Vietnam To Offer Satellite Services Abroad"]

HANOI, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) – Vietnam Telecom International under the state-owned Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, in charge of tapping the country’s first communication satellite Vinasat-1, is discussing with foreign firms about offering the satellite-based services to their countries and regions, according to local newspaper Saigon Liberation on Friday.

The partners include Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS), a leading Asian satellite operator headquartered in China’s Hong Kong, Universal Telecom Services from the United States, Protostar from Singapore, and Thaicom from Thailand.

Vietnam Telecom International and ABS have inked a memorandum of understanding on exchanging capacity on the two satellites Vinasat- 1 and ABS-1. The deal serves a start for a joint cooperation for telecommunications and satellite services between the two companies.

The medium-sized satellite Vinasat-1, launched in April with total investment of nearly 300 million US dollars, has 20 transponders, service coverage in South East Asia, part of China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia and Hawaii, and life-span of between 15 and over 20 years.

Vinasat-1 has transmission capacity equivalent to 10,000 voice, Internet and data channels or 120 TV channels, helping Vietnam to provide telecommunications, radio, Internet and TV services to all corners of the country regardless of topography and climate.

Before having its first satellite, Vietnam had to spend some 15 million dollars annually to rent satellites of such foreign countries as Russia, Australia and Thailand.

Originally published by Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 0507 22 Aug 08.

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