SingTel and Chunghwa Telecom have awarded Mitsubishi Electric an S$200 million ($131 million) contract to build a telecom satellite to be shared between the two operators.

The operators currently share the ST-1 satellite, also developed by Mitsubishi Electric, which will be replaced by the new ST-2.

SingTel has announced it plans to use its share in the new satellite to broaden its reach in emerging markets – particularly the Middle East – and to cater to a growing demand for mobile satellite services. It will, for example, be used to support the company's Office-At-Sea suite, which had been launched to capitalise on this demand.

According to Bill Chang, SingTel's VP of Business, SingTel expects to have no problem finding buyers for satellite's service. “Even before its launch, more than half of ST-2's capacity has been signed-up by regional customers,” he said.

SingTel has a fleet of six satellites, and has access to another 30 satellites worldwide. The company also has three satellite earth stations providing direct transmissions to over 80 countries.

Source:telecomasia.net