REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's Red-and-White Satellite, owned by state-owned telecommunication firm PT Telkom, was successfully launched on Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the United States. The success of the launch marked 42 years of Telkom's work in the business and operation of telecommunications satellites for Indonesia.
The launch also coincided with the 73rd Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia's Independence.
"The existence of the Red-and-White Satellite is expected to encourage the development of the Indonesian digital community and strengthen Telkom's role as an enabler in the progress of the national digital economy," Telkom Managing Director Alex J. Sinaga said in a written statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday, shortly after the satellite launched from SLC 40 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Satelit Merah Putih (the Red-and-White) satellite has a capacity of 60 active transponders, consisting of 24 Standard C-Bands and 12 Extended C-Bands that reach Southeast Asia and 24 Standard C-bands that reach South Asia. This satellite will occupy an orbit slot at 108 degrees East Longitude (BT) or above the area around the Karimata Strait.
Merah Putih Satelllite.
The presence of the Merah Putih Satellite will complement two other Telkom satellites that are still actively operating, namely Telkom 2 and Telkom 3S. Merah Putih Satellite will increase the number of Telkom's transponders from 73 to 133 transponders. This will strengthen TelkomGroup's satellite business.
Merah Putih Satellite is a telecommunications satellite that has a greater capacity and wider range than the previous satellite owned by Telkom. In addition, the Red-and-White Satellite is built using Fiber Optic Gyro technology, and so it has a higher stability.
The Red-and-White Satellite was built by an American commercial satellite and space device manufacturer, Loral Space System (SSL). The satellite, which was built since the beginning of 2016, was delivered to orbit using the Falcon 9 flight-proven rocket owned by SpaceX, an American launch service company which has a high launch success rate of around 98 percent.
The successful launch of the satellite is expected to meet the needs of national transponders, considering that satellites are complementary infrastructures needed to reach regions with topographic characteristics in archipelagic countries such as Indonesia.
Merah Putih Satellite will play an important role in delivering broadband communication services in areas that cannot be reached by fiber optic technology or other communication systems, especially in the forefront, outermost, and remote regions (3T).
"Red-and-White Satellite reaches all regions of Indonesia, countries in Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Its presence is expected to reduce the digital divide in Indonesia and strengthen TelkomGroup's international business, enabling TelkomGroup to become Indonesia's leading digital telecommunications company and a globally competitive firm," Alex pointed out.
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