The Hindu Business Line : Antrix, Measat form jt venture to pool satellite capabilities

THE Indian Space Research Organisation and Malaysian counterpart MEASAT Global Bhd have decided to form a 50:50 joint venture to promote their satellite capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region, the ISRO said on Tuesday.

An agreement signed in New Delhi to this effect paves the way for ISRO to extend the commercial reach of its broadcast and telecom satellites, the Insats, to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia that have a high density of such users.

MEASAT also signed a letter of intent with Antrix to procure a new satellite from ISRO for launch during the first quarter of 2007. To be called MEASAT-4, the satellite will provide additional Ku-band capacity for the MEASAT fleet. Detailed discussions on technical and commercial issues are at an advanced stage, ISRO said.

The tie-up will use the MEASAT's new KL Teleport and Broadcast Centre and also explore the feasibility of developing a world-class customer teleport in India.

The agreement on the tie-up was signed on Monday between ISRO's commercial arm Antrix Corporation and MEASAT in the presence of Dr Manmohan Singh and the visiting Malaysian Prime Minister, Mr Abdullah Ahamad Badawi. The move will develop a "satellite neighbourhood for millions of broadcasting and telecommunications customers across the wider Asia-Pacific region," the release said.

The joint company, yet to be registered and mostly to be in Bangalore, is expected to promote ISRO's satellite-building expertise. It will tap MEASAT's considerable commercial presence in the region to initially market Insat transponder capacity in the APAC region that covers 70 per cent of the global population. The eventual purpose is to jointly build and internationally market satellites using ISRO's expertise, officials told Business Line.

Both agencies operate high-powered fleets of satellites for broadcast and telecom customers. They would pool capacities from their neighbouring satellites to provide C-band and DTH quality Ku-band services to over 160 million TV households. For instance, ISRO has Insat 3A in 93.5 degrees East longitude. The Malaysian agency currently operates two satellites; of them, MEASAT-1 is slotted at 91.5 degrees East longitude while the upcoming MEASAT-3 will also be co-located there when it is launched in mid-2005.

The breakthrough agreement is considered a major step in the ongoing cooperation between the satellite sectors of the two countries. The Antrix Executive Director, Mr K.R. Sridhara Murthi, said, "We have been working closely with MEASAT across a number of areas over the last few years, including the provision of its satellite." The joint venture would and position INSAT as a leading satellite system in the wider Asia-Pacific market.

"We have used Indian space technology and expertise on the MEASAT-1 and MEASAT-3 programmes,'' said Y Bhg Tun Haji Mohammed Hanif Omar, Director, MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd (formerly Binariang Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd.).

ISRO has so far launched four commercial satellites and has contracts for three more over the next two years, mostly for domestic and public sector users. MEASAT operates its network for customers in South-East Asia, Indo-China, South Asia and Australia.