Space officials weigh up joint investment

A panel of CAT, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the Defence Ministry will submit to the committee its study on whether the country needs to develop its own communications satellite, including Thaicom’s proposal for a partnership with CAT.
Prajin Juntong, committee chairman, said this week that the meeting would not make any decision on the Thaicom proposal but would seek to first decide whether the country needs to develop its own communications satellite.
If the satellite were deemed needed, the government would need to work out whether to develop it on its own or seek a partner.
The meeting might decide that the country should not develop its own satellite due to its lack of experience in the satellite operation field, said Prajin, who is also a deputy prime minister.
Earlier, a Digital Economy Ministry source said Thaicom proposed to CAT that they invest at the ratio of 70:30 to develop the Thaicom 9 project. 
This fits well with the government’s plan to have its own state satellite.
Prajin said Thaicom has proposed several partnership options. If CAT and Thaicom finally agree to enter into a joint investment, they will still need time to discuss the plan in greater detail, so their partnership is unlikely to happen soon.
If CAT and Thaicom could join forces, it would benefit the country in terms of disaster prevention, public use and commercial benefit. 
The other point in the Thaicom proposal to the ministry is that it would allow the government to use one transponder from each of its existing licensed satellites, Thaicom 7 and 8, and also its future licensed satellites for free for the rest of their lifespans. 
Prajin said the space committee would have to consider first the economic value of accepting this offer and the list of state agencies to be granted use of the offered transponders.
Thaicom also proposed that for the Thaicom 4 (IPSTAR), Thaicom 5 and Thaicom 6 satellites, which operate under the ministry’s concession, it would continue paying the annual concession fee from the end of the concession in 2021 until the end of their lifespans. 
The annual concession fee it offers to pay in this case is the same as it will pay to the ministry from this year until the end of the concession in 2021, which is 22.5 per cent of its gross revenue. 
The concessions for the Thaicom 4 and 5 satellites will end at the same time in 2021, while in theory their lifespans will run to 2021 or later. 
The concession for Thaicom 6 expires in 2021 but its lifespan will continue for eight years after that. 
The ministry has engaged Chula Unisearch to study how to reform the satellite service industry. 
The study advised the ministry to bring Thaicom’s two licensed satellites – Thaicom 7 and 8 – back under the ministry’s concession regime. Both satellites will be under a concession until it expires in 2021.