Cambodia to launch first satellite

Cambodian Satellite 1 is set to launch in the first quarter of 2013, and will cost between US$250 million and $350 million to build and put in orbit, serving phone, television and other multimedia customers, Royal Group Chairman Kith Meng said yesterday.

“It’s trade in the sky rather than trade on the ground,” he said, adding the satellite will benefit Asean as a whole, as member states will be able to lease satellite services from Cambodia, further driving the region’s economy.

The satellite is set to be launched by Royal Group subsidiary Royal Blue Skies, after receiving the concession from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on Wednesday.

Kith Meng said the government is “fully supporting” the project, adding Prime Minister Hun Sen had lent his approval to the efforts.

Royal Group Chief Financial Officer Mark Hanna said that country-to-country business was part of the company’s overall plan for the satellite.

There will be a huge demand for bandwidth coming out of Asia in the future, driven by high-definition television and the internet, and the added capacity via satellite will help meet that demand, he said.

The firm plans to first sell services into the Cambodian market, and then branch out into Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and other Asean nations.

“We see it as very positive for the future, but it’s going to take time,” he said.