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[Satellite TODAY Insider 11-29-11] AsiaSat’s AsiaSat 7 satellite has been successfully launched, the operator announced. The satellite was launched via an ILS Proton Breeze M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Nov. 26. The successful launch is good news for the operator. AsiaSat CEO William Wade said the launch of AsiaSat 7 was the “major move” for the operator this year.
AsiaSat 7 has 28 C-band and 17 Ku-band transponders, and a Ka-band payload. Its region-wide high power C-band beam covers Asia, the Middle East, Australasia and Central Asia, with Ku-band beams serving East Asia, South Asia and a steerable Ku beam. It will replace AsiaSat 3S at the orbital location of 105.5 degrees East. It will support a broad range of applications for the Asia-Pacific region, including television broadcast and VSAT networks.
The operator can look forward to 2012 knowing this key satellite has now gone up. In terms of other highlights for the company this year, Wade says, “This year we also commenced the procurement process of AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 8, the first time in AsiaSat’s history that we have initiated the procurement of two satellites at one time. To support the future needs of our fleet expansion, we have commissioned the expansion of our Tai Po Earth Station, and we expect the project will be completed in early 2012. These initiatives will lay the foundation for our future growth.”
The operator has also made key strides in the broadcast market this year. Wade says, “Earlier this year, we successfully set up a new broadcast center in our Tai Po facility for our long standing customer FOX International Channels (FIC). This demonstrated our flexibility and adaptability in expanding our capability to meet the growing needs of our customers. From this new broadcast center at our Tai Po Earth Station, we offer FIC one-stop broadcast services including compression, uplink, play-out, system monitoring and maintenance for all of its top-rated HD and SD channels. We see this partnership as a win-win arrangement. Through outsourcing its broadcast operation, FIC has increased its operational efficiency enabling it to focus on its core business of expanding its channel portfolio in the emerging markets of Asia.”
Despite the economic turbulence of recent times, Wade is confident that the satellite business will remain strong in Asia. He says, “Despite the economic uncertainty that continues to impact many parts of the world, the Asian satellite industry generally has stabilized and is making good progress. Assuming no catastrophic development in the global economy, we expect continued improvement in Asian economies. This, coupled with changing government legislations to introduce market competition and government initiatives to improve communications services, should help stimulate investment and expansion across the broadcast and communications sectors.”
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