TV channels' commercial operation with Bangabandhu Satellite begins today

All of the country’s private and state-owned television channels, lured by the government’s discounted spectrum fees, will start their official broadcasting through Bangabandhu Satellite -1 from today.

The Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company (BCSCL) sources have said they are offering Tk1.57 lakh in monthly fees for per MHz spectrum for one year, down from its original rate of Tk1.95 lakh.

Till yesterday, most of the TV channels had been taking the services from the Hong Kong-based Star Alliance satellite company at the monthly rate of around Tk3.50 to Tk4 lakh for per MHz.

In a bid to stay in business, Star Alliance is now offering discounted rate to Bangladeshi TV channels, according to industry insiders.

Launched in May last year, the total expenditure of Bangabandhu Satellite 1 was Tk2,000 crore.

BCSCL Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood has told Dhaka Tribune that the transmission rights to the 34 TV channels will be handed over today as the situation is win-win for both the parties.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over the certificates to the TV channel representatives in a grand program at Hotel Pan Pacific Shonargaon tomorrow," he said yesterday.

He said the TV channels were already running the operation through the Bangabandhu Satelite-1 on a test basis for the last one month.

"Now everything turned out to be satisfactory, and they have decided to opt for commercial operation with BCSCL’s service," Shahjahan Mahmood added.

The satellite company chairman informed that the TV channels would subscribe only a third of the capacity of the satellite having 40 transponders capacity.

The local television channels would use about 5.5% of the total transponders.

Mahmood said: "We are now in talks with the Philippines and Nepal as both the countries have expressed their interests to lease our satellite."

On October 21, 2015, the Cabinet Purchase Committee approved the project to buy the satellite system. 

Later, BTRC signed a deal involving Tk2,000 crore with French company Thales Alenia Space for the construction of Bangladesh’s first-ever satellite Bangabandhu-1.

The satellite was launched into the orbital slot at 119.1 degree east longitude. The slot was bought from Russian satellite company “Intersputnik” for US$28 million in January 2015.