Thaicom 4 nears end of mission as NBTC clears Korean satellite backup

Thailand’s first-generation broadband satellite era is edging towards a turning point, with Thaicom 4, better known as IPSTAR, now nearing the end of its mission as regulators approve a temporary foreign satellite solution to keep customers connected.

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission board, at its meeting on April 21, approved the use of capacity from a Korean satellite for domestic service after being told that Thaicom 4, which has already exceeded its engineering life, is likely to leave orbit by July 31, 2026.

The move is intended to ensure continuity of service while Thaicom manages the transition to a replacement satellite.

Thaicom 4 has already had its engineering life extended twice. The first extension pushed its service life from 2022 to 2024, while a second extension granted on March 20, 2024 allowed it to continue into late 2025 so the company could wait for Thaicom 9 to take over at the same orbital slot. Even after that engineering deadline passed, the satellite has remained in service while the replacement plan slipped.

Thaicom has previously confirmed that Astranis was selected to build Thaicom 9, a MicroGEO high-throughput satellite designed to reinforce the company’s 119.5 degrees East orbital position and provide Ka-band coverage across Asia. At the time of the announcement in March 2024, Thaicom said the satellite was scheduled for launch in 2025.

That timetable, however, no longer appears achievable. Thaicom 9 has been delayed by manufacturing issues after defects were found in equipment from the same production batch, forcing broader checks and corrective work. As a result, the launch, once expected this year, is now likely to slip into next year, although a revised date has yet to be finalised with the manufacturer.

Thaicom itself has also flagged the transition risk in public filings. Minutes of the company’s 2026 annual general meeting note that Thaicom 4 is approaching the end of its life and is already in a transition period, reinforcing the pressure on the company to secure continuity for customers.

The stopgap solution is Korea-SAT.

The Korean satellite was chosen because it sits in a nearby orbital position, allowing existing Thaicom 4 customers to be transferred with minimal changes to receiving equipment or dish alignment. If Thaicom 4 can no longer continue operating, customers would be moved temporarily to the Korean satellite until Thaicom’s own new spacecraft is ready to assume the load.

This is not being presented as an emergency improvisation but as a contingency plan that had already been built into Thaicom’s broader orbital strategy. The company had anticipated the possibility that a temporary satellite might be needed if the new platform was not ready before Thaicom 4 had to retire.

Thaicom 4 still remains operational for now. The satellite continues to function normally despite the end of its engineering life, with its system performance and power status being monitored closely alongside the manufacturer’s engineers. Thaicom reportedly still views it as one of the world’s pioneering broadband satellites, notable for its durability and stability over a long service life.

The next phase will now move from regulatory approval to execution. The project will require administrative processing, ground station work and related equipment installation, with Thaicom estimating that it will take another three to six months before the temporary service can be switched on. The company says it has already prepared equipment and frequency testing so operations can begin as soon as everything is in place.