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Tag: ASSL

  • Agrani satellite transponders to be used for DTH platform

    Agrani satellite transponders to be used for DTH platform

    After Star, it is the turn of the Subhash Chandra-controlled Essel Group promoted ASC Enterprises Limited (ASCEL) to apply for a DTH license.

    Agrani Satellite Services Limited (an ASC Enterprise) has signed a turnkey satellite contract for India’s first private sector satellite initiative, thus agreeing to procure a geostationary, C & Ku band satellite from Alcatel Space Industries of France. The deal involves ‘in-orbit delivery’ of the satellite and a ground control station by Alcatel and Arianespace will provide the Launch Services. The project is estimated to cost Rs11 billion.

    According to the information available, seven to 10 transponders on the satellite will be used for the DTH platform, while the remaining will be used for telecom purposes. There is no clear word though when the company proposes to launch the DTH platform. This will depend in large measure.

    The high power KU band spot beam of the proposed Agrani satellite is ideally suited for Direct to Home signals, as well as to provide domestic bandwidth to various Telecom and Internet Service Providers, analysts said. 

    The power of the Ku band transponder(s) on the proposed Agrani satellite is designed to take care of heavy rainfall in costal and hilly areas of the country.

    “The project will save foreign exchange out flow, enable TV channels to be up-linked from Indian soil using Indian Satellite system,” a senior executive of an Indian-controlled broadcasting company opined.

    ASSL is the first Indian private satellite system to be authorised by the Government of India under May 2000 SatCom policy framework. The Government has also approved the equity participation of Alcatel and Arianespace in ASSL.

    Government of India’s Satcom policy announced in May 2000 and operationalised in November 2000 allows private Indian companies to launch, own, operate and maintain private satellite systems as Indian registered satellite.

    The policy also allows preference treatment to the Indian registered satellite (including the INSAT Satellites which have also been allowed to be used by Private Indian Companies); if suitable capacity is available on INSAT or Private Indian Satellite Systems, the service provision of any kind on the Foreign Satellite will not be permitted. Currently India uses more than 80 transponders on different foreign satellites.

    Other than INSAT, ASSL will be the only satellite system to offer C-band capacity on an India-only coverage beam. Other Asian satellites have Asia-coverage beams that result in lower downlink power levels in India.

    ASSL’s Ku-band capacity offering features a high downlink power in India compared to the best available in the region, and a unique India-Europe connectivity that is suitable for Internet backbone access. ASSL also has the ability to offer turnkey bundled solutions and technical consulting services for India-specific requirements.

    The Agrani transponders will support a broad range of applications ranging from TV broadcasting and DTH to rural and remote area communications, providing telecom media diversity along critical long distance routes to improve resilience against natural or man made disasters, private and public VSAT networks, domestic and international Internet backbone bandwidth as well as direct access and international connectivity among others. 

  • Subhash Chandra’s ASC Enterprises gets new chief in Punit Goenka

    Subhash Chandra’s ASC Enterprises gets new chief in Punit Goenka

    One more piece of the big picture that media mogul Subhash Chandra has envisioned for his group of companies has been fit into its slot. Elder son Punit Goenka, who has been groomed for the job, formally takes over as group president & CEO of ASC Enterprises Limited (ASCEL) Group of Companies effective 1 February.

    Current CEO Jai Singh, who oversaw the building of the new ASC as a holding company for multiple businesses, steps down at close of business tomorrow. Singh will continue to be on the board of Agrani Satellite Services Limited (ASSL) in an advisory role but it will be Goenka, currently senior V-P business development, who will be running things. 

    Punit Goenka takes over at a time when Chandra’s long in gestation Agrani satellite project is all set to finally kick off with, according to Singh, financial closure just weeks away. Singh sees 18 months as the lead time required for the satellite to be up and operational once closure comes through.

    Announcing the change, Chandra “expressed his regret at Jai Singh’s decision to step down in order to return to UK to spend more time with his family, but said that he understood the need. Chandra thanked Jai Singh for his leadership role in and contributions to the building of the new and expressed satisfaction that his advice and guidance will continue to be available,” an official release states. 

    Jai Singh said that it had been his privilege to have worked over the last 41 months with Chandra and the ASC Team in making the new ASCEL. The new, recast ASCEL as a holding Company has given birth to three companies – Agrani Convergence Ltd, rolling out Agrani Switch technology retail stores with 12 stores already in operation; Agrani Wireless Services Ltd which, with the acquisition of four operating public mobile radio trunking services (PMRTS) companies within the group in 2001, now has India’s largest PMRTS operations; and Agrani Satellite at the threshold of transitioning into its implementation phase.

    In addition, during this period Chandra, through Agrani Holdings (Mauritius) Limited, also partnered Craig McCaw, the US Wireless Pioneer, in New ICO.

    With top class basic teams and leadership already in place in ASC and its enterprises, which are only going to get stronger with time, Jai Singh said it was a “convenient time for him as well as ASC for him to step down in order to return to his family in the UK.”

    Punit Goenka began his career in 1993 with the Essel Group, he has held various senior full-time positions in other Group Companies. Since December 1997, he has been involved in ASCEL, initially as V-P, co-ordination and operations.

    Punit Goenka takes the reins at ASCEL exactly five months after Chandra’s younger son Amit Goenka took over as MD of Zee Interactive Learning Systems Limited on 1 September 2001. Amit Goenka took over from Uma Ganesh who resigned from ZILS, after steering the company for a few years.

  • Alcatel Spacecom, Arianespace buy 13 % stake in Agrani for $ 20 m

    Alcatel Spacecom, Arianespace buy 13 % stake in Agrani for $ 20 m

    International satellite major Alcatel Spacecom and the European rocket launch agency Arianespace have cleared the decks to buy into the Subhash Chandra-promoted Agrani Satellite Services Ltd (ASSL).

    It is understood from FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotional Board) sources that Alcatel Spacecom and Arianespace have made individual submissions to the board for their investments in ASSL to the tune of $15 million (9.75 per cent) and $ 5 million (3.25 per cent) respectively for a combined 13 per cent stake in the Rs 1,1500-million satellite project.

    The submissions were made yesterday. These individual submissions are under the overall umbrella of up to 74 per cent FDI (foreign direct investment) approved by FIPB on 3rd October. This follows the clearance given on 21 September by the cabinet committee for economic affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, for the proposed investment.

    Meanwhile, ASSL is reportedly in talks with a global satellite major for an alliance involving technical, commercial and operational cooperation and a minimum investment of 26 per cent in the company.

    ASSL is raising funds for the project at a 1.5:1 (Rs 6900 million: Rs 4600 million) debt equity ratio. Chandra has committed to underwriting the Rs 4600 million if the amount cannot be raised through other sources, as well as expenditures already incurred.

    As of now the lead financier for the project from India is the Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI), which has sanctioned Rs 3,000 million. The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has cleared another Rs 750 million for the project.

    With this latest infusion, ASSL expects to close debt financing of the project by end-October or early-November.

    Alcatel is supplying the satellite which will be delivered 19 months after financial closure. The satellite, with a life-span of 14 years, has 24 ‘C’ band and 14 ‘ku’ band transponders. The promoters expect the project to be cash positive at the start of the second year of operations.