NONTHABURI, April 30 -Thaicom Public Company Limited, Thailand’s satellite operator, announced on Tuesday that its planned Thaicom 8 satellite will be launched in the first half of 2016.
Suphajee Suthumpun, Executive Committee chairman and CEO, said in a corporate website statement that Thaicom has been preparing groundwork for Thaicom 8, including the satellite’s investment plan, technical design, project feasibility, pre-marketing, as well as the ITU process to secure additional frequency rights for Thailand at the 78.5 degrees East orbital slot.
Now that the company has been awarded a license for Thaicom 8 by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), the project can proceed and the satellite is expected to be launched within the first half of 2016.
This new satellite will support the growth of the country’s broadcasting industry and strengthen its competitiveness in the international market in Asia and Africa.
She said Thaicom 8 will support the growth of Thailand’s broadcasting industry and provide adequate capacity to serve the HDTV trend.
“The satellite will also allow us to meet the Ultra-HD demand for Thailand and the international market expected in the future,” Ms Suphajee said.
Thaicom 8 will expand Thaicom’s existing fleet of Thaicom 5 and 6 positioned at the 78.5 degrees East orbital slot, while Thaicom 7, to be launched in mid-2014, will be positioned at 120 degrees East.
The company’s Thaicom 4 (IPSTAR) broadband satellite is located at the 119.5 degrees East orbital slot and provides broadband and backhaul services to 13 countries throughout the Asia Pacific region.
