Azerbaijan, Baku, May 6 / Trend, H. Valiyev /
North Africa's telecommunication operators have started to use the resources of Azerbaijan's first telecommunication satellite Azerspace 1, Communication and IT Minister Ali Abbasov told reporters on Monday.
According to the minister, the Azerbaijani satellite operator Azerkosmos started implementing 40 per cent of Azerspace 1 satellite's resources from May 1.
The technical work to put local TV and radio channels on the Azerbaijani satellite resources had been completed. The main task today is to sign contracts with TV and radio channels, as well as to use the antennas for satellite TV.
Azerspace/Africasat-1a was launched from the ELA-3 base at the Guiana Space Centre on Feb. 8.
The payload of Azerspace/Africasat-1, built on the STAR-2 platform consists of 36 transponders (24 C-band transponders and a 12 Ku-band range). The frequency band of each transponder is 36 MHz. The satellite weighs 3275 kg and its service life in orbit will reach up to 16 years.
The satellite was launched into a geostationary orbit at 46 degrees east longitude and is leased from Malaysia's Measat Satellite Systems owned by the government of Malaysia. Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Middle East and Africa were included in the service area of Azerspace.
The satellite is designed to provide digital broadcasting, Internet access, data transmission and the creation of VSAT multiservice networks and governmental communications.