Bangabandhu Satellite-1 earned over Tk300cr

The Bangabandhu Satellite-1 has earned more than Tk 300 crore since it was launched back in 2018 from Kennedy Space Center, USA.

Making the disclosure in a press release on Monday, the state-owned Bangladesh Satellite Company Ltd (BSCL) – under which the initiative is being operated – added that the satellite is generating revenue of around Tk 10 crore per month, and the figure is slated to go up.

According to the company, most of this satellite’s revenue is coming from domestic sources. It is providing its services to Bangladesh’s 39 TV channels, two prominent banks, and to the DTH operator Akash.

The BSCL has installed 112 DTHs at 31 remote island areas across the country, and signed a MoU with the Armed Forces Division for providing satellite services. Many private and public entities have shown their keen interests to take services from the Bangabandhu Satellite-1, creating the possibility of earning larger amounts of revenue.

Recently, a UK based satellite Television channel has started their operation with the services of Bangabandhu Satellite-1, and many foreign TV channels have shown their interest too.

In the press release, the BSCL criticised a BBC Bangla article published on May 14, which claimed that the satellite did not earn any revenue in three years, and also raised questions about when Bangladesh will get a return on the investment.

The BSCL release further mentioned that the BBC Bangla news article did not reflect the actual image of this satellite’s commercial situation, and has caused confusion among the public.