Telkom Will Launch HTS Satellite, Named 'Red Putih 2'

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - In line with the company's commitment to providing equitable access to information through reliable digital telecommunications infrastructure and services, PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (Telkom) through its subsidiary Telkomsat will launch a satellite with High Throughput Satellite (HTS) technology on February 20, 2024, Florida time or February 21, 2024, Indonesian time. Telkom's 11th satellite will later occupy the orbit slot 113 degrees East Longitude (113 East Longitude).

President Director of Telkom Ririek Adriansyah said the satellite, named Merah Putih 2, will be launched directly from Cape Canaveral, Florida using a Falcon 9 rocket. Currently, the Red and White Satellite 2 is in Cape Canaveral and is ready to launch in the near future.

With a capacity of up to 32Gbps, the Red and White Satellite 2 carries an active torch consisting of the C-band and Ku-band frequencies, which will reach all parts of Indonesia. Previously, Telkom had launched the Red and White Satellite in 2018 with placements in the 108th BT orbit slot.

"The Red and White Satellite 2 is a hope as well as a form of Telkom's commitment to support equal distribution of connectivity throughout Indonesia, complementing the land and sea infrastructure we have. Telkom believes that this equal access to information is expected to accelerate community digitization in various aspects," said Ririek, Thursday, February 15.

Furthermore, President Director of Telkomsat Lukman Hakim Abd. Rauf said that the Red and White Satellite 2 relies on the Spacebus 4000B2 platform with a design age of 15 years. Its construction itself involves Thales Alenia Space which is responsible for the manufacturing of satellites and SpaceX as a satellite launch service provider. The two companies are big players in their sector and have experience with previous Telkom satellite projects.

"The process of selecting partners and procuring satellites has been carried out in accordance with the principles of compliance and good corporate governance principles. In addition, from the business aspect, the partner selection process has also taken into account the lowest per Gbps costs, resulting in satellites with larger capacities at competitive selling prices," added Lukman.

Although the Red and White Satellite 2 has not yet been launched, the potential for the backhaul business targeted by this satellite is projected to be very positive. This can be seen from the enthusiasm of prospective corporate customers and VSAT operators who want to use the satellite service. Of course this is an opportunity for Telkom, especially Telkomsat, to strengthen its satellite business portfolio.

"Not only carrying out missions for the nation's connectivity and bringing Indonesia's good name, hopefully the existence of the Red and White Satellite 2 can strengthen Telkomsat and TelkomGroup into big players in the satellite industry in Indonesia," Ririek concluded.