News Title : BTRC signs satellite deal today

News Date : 2015-11-11

-Ishtiaq Husain
The telecom regulator is going to sign today a Tk2,967 crore agreement with the French company Thales Alenia Space for implementation of the country’s first-ever satellite project Bangabandhu-1. Of the amount, Thales Alenia Space will give TK1,652 crore while the rest of the money will be borne by the government. State Minister for Telecommunication Tarana Halim and Thales Chairman Jean-Loïc Galle are expected to be present at the agreement signing ceremony at a hotel in Dhaka. Once the satellite is launched into orbit, it is expected to help the country save $14m annually. The government can also earn by renting the satellite out. Meanwhile, the regulatory body has formed an 11-member committee to fix charge of the downlink spectrum use in line with Bangladesh’s telecommunication law. The committee is led by a BTRC commissioner. Earlier, on October 20, the cabinet committee on public purchase approved tender proposal of Thales, as all other participants were non-responsive during the process. The French company will have to complete the works in two years as per the government’s decision. If the project missed installation deadline, Thales will have to pay compensation as per a hefty provision. Bangladesh already signed a deal with the Russian Intersputnik for taking lease of an orbital slot worth $28m. In June, four international companies – Great Wall Industry Corporation of China, MDA Corporation of Canada, Thales Alenia Space of France and Orbital ATK of the USA – participated in the tender process of installation and post-installation support services for launching the Bangabandhu satellite. Although the MDA Corporation had the lowest bid of $222.75m, it failed to win the bidding due to some inconsistencies in the tender price as quoted. Given all these factors, the cabinet committee reportedly selected Thales Alenia Space, the second-lowest bidder of $248m.

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