So far many have weighed in the debate about whether Bangabandhu-1 (B-1), the first ever satellite owned by Bangladesh,\u00a0is a financially viable project. While some sceptics have done their own maths\u00a0to declare that even half of the invested money would not be recovered during the entire lifespan of the satellite, supporters called its launching a matter of national pride.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s still premature to say the project is doomed to failure, but it may not be an overstatement that the only party to be benefitted from the launch is the Beximco Group, our very own version of \u201cKoch Brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The media, in general, regardless of political leanings, celebrated the launch as a major technological advancement, but the need for ensuring accountability in what can be called a dubious affair hasn\u2019t been\u00a0voiced.<\/p>\n
The project cost $300 million, more than half of which was borrowed from HSBC, while the rest\u00a0was taxpayers\u2019 money. The government has created a new company that will operate the satellite. The man selected to head the company, however, is a bureaucrat who is less likely to have been trained\u00a0to lead a commercial tech venture. This represents a major setback for a project that seeks to earn \u201ca lot of\u201d foreign currency.<\/p>\n
We have so far been told that among the major clients of the satellite\u00a0are Bangladeshi cable television channels and DTH (direct to home) companies. Bangladeshi cable TV channels are now spending $14 million a year to use satellites belonging to Singapore, China or India. However, Channel 71, a television channel known for its pro-government bias, has\u00a0declared<\/a>\u00a0that the satellite\u2019s Ku band, which accounts for 26 transponders among total 40, \u201cis usually not used<\/a>\u201d by TV channels.<\/p>\n \u201cEven a single drop of rain could interrupt transmission under Ku band,\u201d Mozammel Babu, the channel\u2019s managing editor and a top pro-government media figure, complained\u00a0during an April meeting<\/a>\u00a0between the ICT ministry and the TV channel owners\u2019 association.<\/p>\n Mr Babu has also some reservations about the satellite\u2019s orbital position. \u201cTV channels will have to maintain a 45-degree angle to connect to the satellite that will be challenging for us with the satellite placed in 119.1 degrees orbital slot as a six-storey building could be problematic,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The TV channel owners association\u2019s reservations represent a serious threat to the financial prospect of the $300-million project.<\/p>\n In 2012, Bangladesh\u00a0failed to secure its desirable orbital position<\/a>\u00a0in the face of resistance from 20 countries. Nonetheless, the government decided to\u00a0go ahead with its plan, even if it meant doubling the initial cost\u2014$150 million\u2014and having an uncomfortable orbital slot, thus, a reduced financial prospect.<\/p>\n With TV channels now unlikely to use the satellite\u2019s transponders, DTH service providers are now the only major clients. This is the phase when Beximco Group\u00a0enters.<\/p>\n According to media reports, Beximco\u00a0has obtained the exclusive rights to DTH<\/a>\u00a0business in Bangladesh. The process through which the license was sold was hardly transparent. This is an issue that is not currently covered by our media.<\/p>\n To put this in context, Pakistan in November 2016\u00a0sold DTH licenses<\/a>\u00a0to three companies in exchange for 14.69 billion rupees, but we do not know how much money has the government received from Beximco.<\/p>\n What is most astounding, however, is the fact that Beximco\u2014a major client of the satellite\u2019s transponders\u2014has also been jointly awarded the rights<\/a>\u00a0to allocating signal frequency to other possible clients. This represents a major conflict of interest. This also\u00a0confirms the fear of many: the group will enjoy an unequivocal monopoly.<\/p>\n No one, not even the chief of the country\u2019s top tech regulator BTRC, seems to know through what process the company was awarded such rights. When asked, BTRC chairman had only this to say: \u201cIt was a decision of the information ministry. It\u2019s a sensitive matter. I don\u2019t have the right answer.\u201d<\/p>\n A July 2012\u00a0report by the New Age<\/a>\u00a0(archived) also raised the possibility of wrongdoing in appointing the consulting firm of the project. While the media currently attributes the firm namely Space Partnership International (SPI) as \u201cAmerica-based,\u201d one of its main men is Shafiq A\u00a0Chaudari, a brother-in-law of Farid Khan, the younger brother of Faruq Khan, former minister and a powerful ruling party leader.<\/p>\n The Khan family business group, Summit Group,\u00a0also a powerful pro-ruling party conglomerate, participated in the tender process on behalf of SPI. Before seizing the $10-million consultancy job, SPI had little experience in this field, according to the New Age report.<\/p>\n Apart from TV channels and DTH service providers, there have been talks to rope in international clients. However,\u00a0experts have expressed scepticism<\/a>\u00a0since our neighbouring country India\u00a0with 88 satellites, and China with 244,\u00a0are better positioned to offer a competitive price.<\/p>\n Some could\u00a0point out to the international coverage Bangladesh has received as a success. Unfortunately, however, all focus of the international media has been on SpaceX, the private space company\u00a0that launched the satellite, owned by celebrity tech-billionaire Elon Musk.<\/p>\n Therefore, one should not be blamed for drawing the conclusion that the entire project\u00a0might have been undertaken\u00a0to benefit a particular business entity, which also happens to be a major donor of the ruling party. The only incentive for the ruling party\u00a0in this project is the name of the satellite:\u00a0Bangabandhu<\/em>,\u00a0the most important figure of the party.<\/p>\n Such a name is obviously a\u00a0big political feat, and the hype in both traditional and social media is a bonus. In particular, many pro-government newspapers were so moved by the launch of the satellite that they\u00a0made a\u00a0big blunder<\/a>\u00a0on May 11 by declaring in the front-page lead story that the launch was done, while it was actually postponed.<\/p>\n True, having a satellite has its own benefits.\u00a0The only problem, though, is that the price for the taxpayers for such a political display is too steep. By invoking\u00a0Bangabandhu<\/em>, a generally revered figure in Bangladesh, and in the name of national pride, a\u00a0shady\u00a0job worth $300 million has been\u00a0done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So far many have weighed in the debate about whether Bangabandhu-1 (B-1), the first ever satellite owned by Bangladesh,\u00a0is a […]<\/p>\n