Azerspace puts $10 million in Azerbaijan's pocket this year

By AzerNews

Azerbaijan's revenues from the first satellite program reached $10 million, Azerbaijani space agency "Azercosmos" said on December 18.

The Azerbaijan satellite operator has to date sold over 50 percent of resources of the Azerspace/Africasat-1a satellite.

Over 70 TV and radio channels are broadcasted via the satellite, 19 of which are local, including AzTV, ITV, CBC, Xezer TV, ANS TV, Medeniyyet TV, Idman Azerbaycan, and Azad Azerbaycan TV.

TV channels are currently broadcasting both standard and live via the satellite. The TV content is available when satellite antennas configured with 11,169 MHz frequency, 20,400 speed, Horizontal and FEC - 5/6 polarization.

In December, Azerspace-1 started broadcasting of Lebanon TV channels. Moreover, the Ukrainian state television, Turkish VTV Antalya channel have started broadcasting via the local satellite in August, while North African telecommunication operators began using resources of the satellite in May.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan and Iraq are also told about interested in using Azerspace-1 possibilities in the future.

The first national satellite, which was launched in February 2013, covers Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North Africa. Some 80 percent of the satellite's resources are available for commercial purposes.

The satellite was designed to offer digital broadcasting services, Internet access, data transmission, to create multiservice VSAT networks and to provide for governmental communication.

The term of exploitation in the orbit of Azerspace-1, which is expected to fetch $500-600 million to the country, will be up to 15 years.