Thai satellite operator Thaicom said that it has successfully relocated its recently acquired Thaicom 9A satellite to the 50.5º East orbital slot just a few days before Thailand’s rights to the slot expired.
Thaicom subsidiary TC Space Connect Company Limited (TCSC) won the usage rights to the 50.5º East slot from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) last month in a beauty contest. The NBTC had previously tried to auction off the slot in July, along with the 142° East slot, but failed to attract any bidders.
Thailand had been trying to find someone to utilise the slot since January 2023 in order to keep the rights to it before they expire this week on November 27. Otherwise, the country would have to surrender it to the International Telecommunication Union.
The challenge for Thaicom was that it needed an actual satellite to occupy the slot. Its current satellite pipeline includes Thaicom 9, which is being supplied by Astranis for the 119.5º East orbital slot, and Thaicom 10, which is scheduled for launch sometime in 2027.
Earlier this month, Thaicom announced it would acquire the Eutelsat 36B satellite (which it was already leasing capacity from) and move it from its 36° East orbital slot to the 50.5º East slot. That move was completed on Friday.
The satellite, renamed Thaicom 9A, is scheduled to begin operations in the first quarter of 2025. Thaicom said it will initially use the satellite to provide services to Thailand and targeted countries around Asia.
In future, it will look for opportunuties to expand services further west to regions under the Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, which are covered by Thaicom 9A’s footprint, said Thaicom CEO Patompob (Nile) Suwansiri.
“This will boost Thailand’s competitive position allowing Thaicom to expand to new market opportunities while propelling the development of Thailand’s space industry,” he said in a statement.