An international tender for the Bangabandhu 1 satellite has been floated, with the government now anticipating to launch the spacecraft in late 2017.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in a tender dated March 24, but published yesterday, said only satellite companies with at least 15 years of experience can compete for the contract.
According to the advertisement, tender documents will be available until May 24 for $5,000; a pre-bid meeting will be held on April 27; and June 2 will be the last date for submitting tender and also the day the submissions will be opened.
The advertisement follows comments on Tuesday by Obaidul Quader, the man in charge of the Post, Telecom and ICT Ministry in parliament, who told the Jatiya Sangsad that the government expects to sign an agreement with the main satellite contractor in September this year.
Although the official duration of the Bangabandhu Satellite Launching Project is July 2014-June 2017, the BTRC is now reportedly planning on launching the spacecraft on December 16, 2017, to mark the country’s Victory Day.
ATM Monirul Alam, commissioner (spectrum management) of the BTRC, last week told the Dhaka Tribune that they were hopeful about launching the country’s first ever satellite by its December 2017 goal.
According to the published advertisement, the BTRC will provide the land for ground stations and utilities such as electricity, sewage system, water and internet to support contractor development efforts.
“Tenderers from all countries are eligible, except countries having no diplomatic relations with Bangladesh,” tender documents read.
“In order to participate in the tender, a prospective tenderer must be a manufacturer of geosynchronous satellites whose capabilities, track record and compatibility with multiple commercial launch systems meet specific mandatory requirements.”
The advertisement mentions that the tenderer will be “required to propose financing 85% of the value of their components that could be financed; the terms and conditions of such financing and other terms with will be negotiated.”
On September 16 last year, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved Tk2,967 crore for the Bangabandhu 1 satellite project.
The BTRC has already paid $5.6m or 20% of the cost to Intersputnik, a satellite company from Russia, as the first instal-ment of purchasing an orbital slot on 119.1 East Longitude, the cost of which was fixed at $28m, equivalent to around Tk218.96 crore.
According to a contract signed on January 15 this year with Intersputnik, the BTRC will have to pay 30% of the cost or $8.4m within the next 15 months, 25% or $7m within 18 months after that, and the rest within the next eight months.
According to the project documents, BTRC has selected two locations for ground handling – Telecom Staff College in Gazipur and Betbunia Earth Station in Rangamati.
When launched, Bangabandhu 1 will serve the Saarc countries, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as well as the “Stan” countries – such as Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan – if its frequency is properly coordinated.
The telecom regulator is optimistic that it would take only seven years to reach breakeven in the project.