[Satellite Today 12-22-08] Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan will give Vietnamese telecommunications companies priority to use certain positions within the country’s satellite orbit, The Vietnam Bridge reported Dec. 22
    The order would allow domestic telecoms to more effectively plan the launch of telecommunications satellites, either by themselves or in cooperation with a foreign partner, Nhan said a statement to the Vietnamese press. Both foreign-invested and domestic enterprises would be eligible to provide telecommunications services and build telecommunications infrastructure in Vietnam under a draft law being circulated for comment by the Ministry of Information and Communication.
    Vietnam’s first telecommunications satellite, Vinasat 1, built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Services, was launched in April.