ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation
THAICOM’S plan to launch Thaicom 9 satellite has hit a snag, as the Information and Communications Technology Ministry has informed the International Telecom Union (ITU) that it will withdraw its recent filings to reserve three orbital slots, of which one was for the planned Thaicom 9 satellite.
The withdrawal targets only future satellites to be positioned there, not the existing satellites on these slots. The ministry said it wanted to wait for a new and clear government policy on satellites, as reason for this move. The source added that while Thaicom could ask the ministry to make such a reservation filing again, each filing process takes time.
A Thaicom source said Thaicom is ready to explain to the ministry that reserving the orbital slots for future satellite launches protects national interest.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has already granted the licence for the planned Thaicom 8 and Thaicom 9 satellites. Thaicom is seeking a manufacturer to build the Thaicom 9. It plans to launch Thaicom 8 to a position 78.5 degrees East by the middle of this year.
Thaicom operates three existing satellites under the ministry concession -Thaicom 5 and 6 broadcasting satellites and the Thaicom 4 broadband satellite, better known as iPSTAR. Thaicomsatellites under the existing NBTC licence are Thaicom 7 and all those to be launched in the future.
ICT Minister Uttama Savanayana said the ministry is waiting for a report from Chulalongkorn University, assigned by the ministry to study the country’s space and satellite policies. The study will be finished in April. It has also asked the university to work out the appropriate fee a satellite operator should pay to the government for coordinating with the ITU to reserve the orbital slots. This fee will be levied on the satellites under NBTC licensing regime only.
He added that the ministry wants to discuss the issue of fee with Thaicom regarding its satellites under the NBTC licensing regime.
He said the ministry is revising the overall satellite policy with the initial focus on what to do in case the satellite concessions expire before the expiry of the satellite’s life span. The three options are to allow existing operators to continue the operation, awarding the concessions to new operators, or for the government to step in to operate them.
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