Indonesia’s new internet satellite, SATRIA-1, has reportedly been successfully tested and should be ready to begin operations in early 2024.
According to a report in Tuesday’s Jakarta Post, the Telecommunication and Information Accessibility Agency (BAKTI) announced last Friday that SATRIA-1 is now connected to the internet. Connectivity trials were successfully conducted last week in Manokwari, Jayapura, Ambon, Batam, Kupang and Banjarbaru.
BAKTI, which operates under the Communication and Information Ministry (Kominfo), announced the test results on a Zoom call that was itself connected via SATRIA-1.
Adi Rahman Adiwoso, CEO of satellite operator Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), said that the Zoom call made it “evident that everything is starting to run smoothly,” the Post reported.
SATRIA-1 is a public-private project between the Indonesian government and a consortium led by PSN. The US$550 million satellite project, which has been in the works since 2019, aims to provide high-speed internet access to schools, medical centres and thousands of public and government facilities across the archipelago via VSAT connectivity.
SATRIA-1 was built by Thales Alenia Space. It was launched via SpaceX in June and reached its orbital slot last month. The satellite has a total capacity of 150 Gbps.
PSN’s Adi said he was confident that the final technical aspects and administrative procedures could be completed before the end of the year, paving the way for SATRIA-1 to begin full operations early next year, the report said.