Thaicom's wholly-owned subsidiary Space Tech Innovation has partnered with Eutelsat, a subsidiary of world leading satellite operator Eutelsat SA, to utilise the satellite Thaicom plans to launch to the 119.5° East slot.
Under the agreement, Eutelsat is committed to lease and operate the service for 50% of the satellite's capacity during the satellite's lifetime of 16 years.
Thaicom's new satellite is a new generation of broadband software defined high throughput satellite (HTS).
It will allow flexibility and instant reconfiguration to adapt dynamically to service areas and will provide a significant level of confidence to the company's customers and partners throughout Asia-Pacific.
Thaicom is now finalising the procurement process of the satellite, according to Patompob Suwansiri, Thaicom's chief executive.
He said Thaicom has secured a long-term partnership with Eutelsat, one of the world's largest global satellite operators, for the new satellite project at orbital slot 119.5° East.
The partnership does not only provide a long-term tie and secure utilisation of 50% capacity of its new satellite, but will create synergies between the two organisations to capture growth opportunities in the future.
"This is an important milestone for Thaicom as we continue our journey to becoming a leading space tech company in the region," Mr Patompob said.
Mr Patompob said the launches of the three geostationary satellites would be split into two phases.
Eva Berneke, chief executive of Eutelsat Communications, said the strategic partnership with Thaicom is to leverage the 119.5° East position, which is perfectly located to address the entire Asian region, representing a great opportunity for Eutelsat as well as an innovative investment.
The company is confident in Thaicom as a leading satellite operator in Asia with over 30 years of experience in the industry and its expertise in the Asia-Pacific market, she added.
Space Tech Innovation won two packages for the right to use satellite orbit slots from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission in January out of five packages put up for auction.
The five orbital slot packages are 50.5°E and 51°E, 78.5°E, 119.5°E and 120°E, 126°E, and 142°E.
Space Tech Innovation won the second package by proposing the sum of 380 million baht and the third package at 417 million baht.
Thaicom plans to launch three satellites to the 119.5°E slot. Mr Patompob earlier told the Bangkok Post the launches of the three geostationary satellites would be split into two phases.
The first phase comprises two small geostationary satellites, each of which could provide a capacity of 10 gigabits per second (Gbps). The two small satellites are set to provide services between 2025 and 2032.
The second phase is a large geostationary satellite which is set to be launched in early 2027.
This HTS satellite would provide services from the third quarter of 2027 until end of the licence term, or a period of 15.5 years.