Army TV advances broadcasts via Lao satellite

The General Department of Politics under the Lao People’s Army of the Ministry of National Defence has signed an agreement with the Lao Asia-Pacific Satellite Co Ltd to broadcast its army television channel via the Lao Sat-1 satellite.
Deputy Head of the General Department of Politics, Major General Sonethong Phomlavong and General Manager of Lao Asia-Pacific Satellite Co Ltd, Mr Ding Yongbing signed an agreement during a ceremony in Vientiane last week.
Minister of National Defence, General Chansamone Chanyalath; Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Dr Thansamay Kommasith; Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Savankhone Razmountry and officials from both sides attended the event. Army Television was established in 1996 to broadcast 30-minute programmes on Lao National Television Channel 1 and Channel 3, as well as Lao Star TV, and Lao Public Security Television (Lao PSTV channel).
The Lao People’s Army now has its own TV station broadcasting the military’s agenda for na-tional protection and development.
After Lao Sat-1 was launched on November 2, 2015, its operations were trialled for about two months, and it officially began commercial services in mid-March 2016.
Lao Sat-1 was launched by an LM-3B rocket from the Xi Chang Launch Centre in Sichuan province of China. After several orbiting manoeuvres, it was successfully parked in a 128.5 E orbit slot on November 26, 2015.
The satellite is equipped with 22 transponders (14 in C-band and eight in Ku-band). It provides services such as transponder leasing, satellite telecommunications and teleports, internet, satellite TV broadcasting and emergency support.
The satellite was designed, developed and put into orbit by China with the total cost of the project US$259 million. Lao Sat-1 is expected to have an operational life of 15 years.
The satellite is designed to provide communication links for government departments, television transmission and a range of telecommunication applications in Laos.
The Lao Sat-1 Joint Venture Company operates the satellite, with the shareholders being the Lao government (with a 45 percent stake) and three Chinese developers.
The satellite is seen as an essential catalyst for pushing economic development and providing services such as internet and television programming to people in remote mountainous regions of the country.

By Phomphong Laoin
(Latest Update May 19, 2020)