All local television channels will start their full-fledged transmission using the feed of country’s first communication satellite Bangabandhu-1 (BS-1) on October 1.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to open formally the BS-1 services to all 34 TV channels on October 1,” said Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited (BCSCL) Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood on Wednesday.
He said currently the local TV channels are successfully running their transmission through BS-1 while additional 15 TVs will join them soon.
“We have already sold 40% of the capacity of BS-1 and expect to sell the rest in the coming days,” Dr Mahmood added.
A delegation of the Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office on August 28.
The delegation said they have been working sincerely with the authorities concerned to start complete transmission of all the private television channels through the BS-1 on October 1.
The BCSCL has connected all TV channels through fiber optic cable with its ground station, instead of installing earth station to minimize the cost of TV channels’ owner.
BS-1 coverage
French manufacturer Thales Alenia Space in November last year handed over the controlling authority of BS-1 to BCSCL, which was launched by the SpaceX on May 12, 2018 from Florida to the orbit.
The first trial broadcast of BS-1 has been successfully done through airing the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship 2018.
BCSCL has hired international consultancy firm Thaicom for two years to run the marketing and sale of the connectivity of BS-1 in six countries, including four neighbours of Bangladesh. The Thai firm is currently active in around 20 countries.
Thales launched the BS-1 at a cost of Tk2,765 crore and according to the plan, it will reach break-even point within seven years of starting its commercial service.
Located at the 119.1 east geostationary slot, BS-1 would cover the SAARC countries and Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkestan and a part of Kazakhstan.
The coverage is the strongest in Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan, for which these six countries have initially been chosen for business.
The satellite’s operations include direct-to-home service for TV channels, VSAT (very small aperture terminal), backhaul and network restoration, disaster preparedness and relief and many others.
