Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 25 / Trend H.Valiyev /
The negotiations on the Azerbaijani national telecommunication satellite Azerspace is in its final stages, Azerbaijani Deputy Communications and IT Minister Iltimas Mammadov said.
"The contract is expected to be signed in the first half and then we can determine the exact date of launch of the satellite into orbit," he added.
According to him, the project on construction of the satellite must be completed in the 24 months from the date of signing, after which it will be in orbit.
The U.S Orbital Company will produce the satellite. The satellite's cost will be roughly 163 million manat. The satellite's construction will cost 87 million manat, and 40 million manat will be spent on the satellite's orbit. A satellite control center will cost 16 million manat and the remaining 18 million manat will be spent on fully insuring the satellite.
The satellite's terms of exploitation will be 15 years with a payback period of about five years. Azerbaijan intends to use about 25 percent of the satellite's resources, and the remaining amount will be offered to operators in other countries.
Implementation of the satellite project will be economically advantageous achievement for Azerbaijan and the investments will be paid off within five to seven years, after which the satellite will be 100 percent profitable.
The national satellite will enable Azerbaijan to create high quality and reliable communications systems and television, as well as increase the number of channels.
The ITU (International telecommunication Union) marked the position of 43.2, 58.5 and 96 degrees east longitude to place the Azerspace national satellite. The satellite will be equipped with three beams directed at Europe, Asia and Africa, which will allow the country to act as a transit country in the broadcast channels.
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