Shin Satellite

Infobox_Company
company_name = Shin Satellite Public Company Limited
company_
company_type = Subsidiary
foundation = 11th September 1991
location = Bangkok, Thailand
key_people = Dumrong Kasemset (Ph.D), Executive Chairman
products = Telecommunications Satellite Related Services
revenue = 21.4 Million USD (Approximate; Year 2004)
industry = Telecommunications
homepage = [http://www.thaicom.net/ www.thaicom.net]

Shin Satellite Plc. is the former name of THAICOM Public Company Limited and is Thailand's first satellite operator. It is a subsidiary of Shin Corporation, the biggest telecommunications conglomerate in Thailand. The company obtained a license from Thailand's Ministry of Transport and Communications in 1991 to launch a satellite and operate it, based on a BTO (Build-Transfer-Operate) agreement.

Company milestones

* 11 September 1991 - Shinawatra Satellite Co., Ltd. (SATTEL) was granted by Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) a 30-year concession to operate Thailand's first commercial satellite.
* 17 December 1993 - Thaicom 1 successfully launched into orbit
* 18 January 1994 - Shinawatra Satellite Co., Ltd. listed on Stock Exchange of Thailand
* 7 October 1994 - Thaicom 2 successfully launched into orbit
* 16 April 1997 - Thaicom 3 successfully launched into orbit
* 2 August 1999 - Shinawatra Satellite changed its name to Shin Satellite Plc.
* 27 September 1999 - Shin Satellite Plc. increased its registered capital from Baht 3,500 million to Baht 5,500 million and paid-up capital from Baht 3,500 million to Baht 4,375 million and also Shin Corporation sold 100% of its investment in Shenington Investments Pte Ltd. to Shin Satellite Plc. in order to restructure the SHIN Group.
* November 2002 - SATTEL signed the facility agreements for the financing of iPSTAR totaling USD 390 million. The agreements consisted of a USD 265 million agreement for loan guarantee facilities with the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) and Compagnie française d'assurance pour le commerce extérieur (COFACE), and a USD 125 million syndicated commercial bank facility jointly arranged by Citibank and BNP Paribas. This financial closure is a significant milestone for the iPSTAR project.
* 11 August 2005 - Thaicom 4 or "iPSTAR" was successfully launched into orbit, delayed two hours from its scheduled time due to a technical problem in the final 15 seconds of the initial attempt.
* 27 May 2006 - Thaicom 5 successfully launched into orbit
* 10 April 2008 - "Shin Satellite Plc" changed its name to THAICOM Public Company Limited.
* 21 April 2008 - THAICOM Public Company Limited changed its symbol on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) to "THCOM"

Meaning of the name "Thaicom"

"Thaicom" is the name that His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave to the satellite. This name stands for "Thai Communications".

Details of each Satellite

Thaicom 1A

Thaicom 1A is the first satellite of Thailand, launched on 17 December 1993. Built by Hughes Space Aircraft, it is located at 120 degrees East. Life expectancy is 15 years.

Thaicom 2

Thaicom 2 is the second satellite of Thailand, launched on 7 October 1994. This satellite is identical to Thaicom 1A, and is located at 78.5 degrees East.

Thaicom 3

Launched successfully on 16 April 1997 into orbit, Thaicom 3 was a three-axis stabilized spacecraft (Spacebus 3000A) with a payload capacity of 25 C band and 14 Ku band transponders, built by Aerospatiale, now Thales Alenia Space. Global beam coverage on Thaicom 3 spanned over four continents and could service users in Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa. The high-powered Ku band transponders, with both spot and steerable beams, were ideally suited to Digital DTH services for Thailand and other countries in the region. It was co-located with Thaicom 2 until a few months before it was de-orbited. On 2 October 2006, at approximately 1:37 am (Bangkok time), Thaicom 3 was de-orbited due to failure in its power system, which prevented it from providing further service. This de-orbit had no adverse effect on Thaicom customers, as these had previously been migrated to the iPSTAR-1 and Thaicom 5 spacecrafts.

Thaicom 4 (iPSTAR-1)

Thaicom 4 (iPSTAR-1) is the fourth satellite to be put into service by Thaicom, and is the world's first satellite specifically designed to provide Internet services. Built by Space Systems/Loral and launched on 11 August 2005 from French Guiana, iPSTAR-1 has a life expectancy of 14 years.

Thaicom 5

Thaicom 5 is a Spacebus 3000A model built by Alcatel Alenia Space of France, with a footprint covering four continents. The 2.8-tonne Thaicom 5, worth US$100 million, replaced Thaicom 3, which was near the end of its service life at the time of Thaicom 5's launch on 27 May 2006. Thaicom 5 is used for broadcasting, especially Direct-to-Home (DTH) television and High Definition TV, and other telecommunications services.

ubsidiaries

CS Loxinfo Public Company Limited (SET:CSL)

Thailand's Biggest Internet Service Provider. Managing Director of CSL is Mr. Annan Keawruamwong CSL also holding consist of these subsidiaries:

hin Broadband Internet (Thailand) Company Limited (SBI)

Provides services related to the Internet business, such as a website hosting service, server co-location, e-commerce, domain name registration and web development.

CS Satellite Phone Company Limited (CSP)

CSP is a joint venture formed by C.S. Communications (80%), Sahaviriya OA Plc. (12%) and Universal Communications Systems Co., Ltd. (8%). CSP has an exclusive franchise in Thailand to provide Global Mobile Personal Communications via Satellite Services (GMPCS) under the ICO project.

henington Investments Pte. Ltd. (Shenington)

Shenington Investments Pte Ltd. was incorporated in Singapore to conduct local and overseas telecom investment, and is currently the shareholder of Lao Telecom and Cambodia Shinawatra. SATTEL acquired Shenington for 50 million Baht on September 27, 1999. Shenington also holding consist of these subsidiaries:

Cambodia Shinawatra Company Limited (CamShin)

CamShin operates the telecommunications services in Cambodia under the 35-year license, granted by Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Cambodia until March 4, 2028.

Lao Telecommunications Company Limited (LTC)

LTC is a joint venture between Shennington and the government of the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, in which Shenington holds 49 per cent. LTC has a license to operate all types of telecommunications services in Laos.