Thailand’s state-owned National Telecom (NT) should give up its 126 degree East orbital satellite slot, says a local consultancy. The advice is that NT should pass the satellite position to the country’s National Broadcasting & Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). The 126 degrees slot expires in December.

Because of financial and operational headwinds, the planned offering of internet satellite service using the slot is not a prudent investment for either NT or the Thai government, said Rewin Pataibunlue, managing partner at PrimeStreet Advisory, a management consulting and financial advisory firm, according to a report in the Bangkok Post newspaper. He said bypassing both the construction and launch of a proprietary GEO satellite in the slot does not exclude NT from the space economy.

“NT can position itself as a high-margin operational and resale partner,” commented Pataibunlue.

NT’s original business plan relied on two key assumptions to guarantee financial returns and avoid direct financial support from the government.

In 2023, the state enterprise acquired the 126°E slot from an NBTC auction by bidding 9.07 million baht.

NT president Col Sanpachai Huvanandana previously told the Bangkok Post the slot was going through coordination for a filing that expires in December 2026. The company requires extensive and complex technical frequency coordination with neighbouring satellite operators before commercial deployment can be authorised.

Huvanandana said the slot is classified as an “incomplete reservation” due to potential signal interference with neighbouring satellites at 125.5°E and 126.5°E, which are operated by China and South Korea, respectively.

If NT opts to use the slot, it must notify the International Telecommunication Union to initiate negotiations with both countries to mitigate technical interference. He said the NT board expects to seek further guidance from the National Space Policy Commission or a designated representative to confirm if the national security requirement still holds, reports the newspaper.

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Tags: satellite, telco, thailand