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SINGAPORE (AFP) - The successful launch of the AsiaStar satellite will significantly boost regional and international broadcasters access to households across Asia, US-based WorldSpace Corp., which operates the satellite, said.
"It isn't the first digital satellite system ever launched but it is the first that allows delivery of programming direct to a small portable receiver," said Michael Whitener, managing director of WorldSpace Asia at a news briefing in Singapore.
The launch of the $250 million AsiaStar satellite aboard an Arianespace Ariane-5 rocket was broadcast live from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite will have three beams, one delivering signals to northern Asia, another to India, and the third to the rest of Southeast Asia.
Whitener said they hoped to begin commercial operations of AsiaStar by June. "A broadcaster that was previously limited to a terrestrial area can now reach 14 million square kilometers (5.6 million square miles) of area by delivering their signal via satellite," he said.
International broadcasters such as the British Broadcasting Corp. and Cable News Network are among the content providers of AsiaStar, said Whitener, adding that discussions with other regional broadcasters were taking place.
WorldSpace expected as many as 50 channels of crystal clear digital audio programming to be carried on the AsiaStar satellite and transmitted directly into portable receivers containing small built-in four-inch (10-centimeter) dish antennas, he added.
The receivers are being manufactured by four Japanese companies, JVC Corp., Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd., Matsushita Electric, and Hitachi Ltd., and are priced between $250 to $350, although Whitener said he expected "the prices to come down very quickly" with economies of scale and further technological advancements.
WorldSpace is now working on technology that will allow the satellite to provide multimedia programming. "What we are working on currently is a PC (personal computer) card that will fit directly into a computer and be able to directly receive multimedia service," with content ranging from financial news to weather reports, said Whitener. He said at present an adapter is needed between a receiver and PC to receive satellite transmissions.
AsiaStar was one of two telecom satellites launched by Arianespace from Kourou, the other being the INSAT-3B of the Indian Space Research Organization. WorldSpace already has one other satellite covering Africa and the Middle East already in operation since October last year, and will launch another for the Latin American region in the first half of 2001.
WorldSpace Corp. headquartered in Washington, D.C. was founded in 1990 to provide direct satellite delivery of digital audio communications and multimedia services to emerging markets. It is primarily contracted by Alcatel Space based in Toulouse, France.
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