JAKARTA, February 22, 2019 – PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), the first private satellite-based telecommunications company in Indonesia, has successfully launched the Nusantara Satu Satellite into orbit. The first broadband satellite in Indonesia with High Throughput Satellite (HTS) technology took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States using a Falcon 9 rocket from Space-X to the 146° East orbit slot right above Papua, Indonesia.
The launch of the Nusantara Satu Satellite was witnessed by the Director General of SDPPI (Postal and Informatics Equipment Resources), representatives of the Indonesian Embassy to the United States, and all PSN stakeholders present at Cape Canaveral.
“We are grateful and proud that today, Thursday, February 21, 2019, at 20:45 local time or Friday, February 22, 2019, at around 08:45 WIB, the Nusantara Satu Satellite has successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Florida, United States. The presence of the Nusantara Satu Satellite is a major achievement for PSN to strengthen Indonesia’s position in the digital world. This is in accordance with its tagline, namely Nusantara Satu, Unite Indonesia,” said PSN President Director Adi Rahman Adiwoso after the launch of the Nusantara Satu Satellite in Cape Canaveral Florida, United States, Thursday (21/2) night.
Adi said that the launch of the Nusantara Satu Satellite will be a historical milestone for Indonesia, especially in the telecommunications industry. This is the first time Indonesia has had a broadband satellite with High Throughput Satellite (HTS) technology that can provide broadband internet services with a larger capacity of up to 15 Gbps or around three times the capacity of conventional satellites.
In addition, the Next Generation Electric Propulsion technology embedded in Nusantara Satu is able to make the satellite very light and make investment costs more affordable. “Nusantara Satu is designed to be very efficient to reduce Space-X cargo transportation costs. This satellite only weighs four tons, while Space-X’s cargo capacity is seven tons. So the transportation costs can be cheaper but with better capabilities than conventional satellites,” Adi continued.
Technically, the Nusantara Satu Project Leader who also serves as the Director of Planning and Development of PSN, Dani Indra Widjanarko explained, after successfully launching, PSN continues to monitor the Nusantara Satu satellite until it finally successfully occupies its orbital slot and operates properly.
“We estimate that it will take about 2 weeks from the time of launch to find out whether the Nusantara Satu Satellite has actually reached the specified orbital slot. After successfully reaching its orbit, a series of tests will first be carried out to ensure that Nusantara Satu can function properly. Then, the satellite can be used for national internet needs,” said Dani.
Dani explained, the Nusantara Satu Satellite has a capacity of 26 C-band transponders and 12 Extended C-band transponders and 8 Ku-band spot beams with a total bandwidth capacity of 15 Gbps. The C-band and Extended C-band coverage of the satellite covers the Southeast Asia region, while for Ku-Band it covers the entire territory of Indonesia which consists of 8 Spot Beams on the HTS system.
In addition, the satellite produced by Space System Loral (SSL) uses the SSL-1300-140 platform which is capable of orbiting for more than 15 years. This satellite weighs 4,100 kilograms when launched.
Adi Rahman Adiwoso added that the need for internet is very high for the future. It is estimated that there are 25 thousand villages and 25 million people who have not been served by broadband internet connections. The operation of Nusantara Satu is considered to be very beneficial for people in various remote areas by gaining access to information technology. So with its quality and reach throughout Indonesia, Nusantara Satu can support economic acceleration in the regions.
After orbiting, according to Heru Dwikartono, Director of PSN Network, the Nusantara Satu Satellite will be used for government needs that will distribute the internet to various villages in Indonesia. In addition, the satellite is also used to strengthen PSN retail services through Ubiqu and Sinyalku products. Heru explained that Ubiqu is PSN’s main product to serve internet needs in Indonesia in driving economic growth and realizing the welfare of the entire community.
“We have Ubiqu and Sinyalku with coverage ranging from the western tip of Sumatra to the eastern tip of Papua, from the northern tip of Sulawesi to the southern tip of Nusa Tenggara. Because Ubiqu uses satellites, it can be installed anywhere throughout Indonesia, whether in cities, villages, mountainous areas, islands, and can even serve remote areas,” he explained.
“Currently, we have connected around three thousand villages, by the end of this year we hope there will be ten thousand villages. And it is estimated that twenty-five thousand villages will be connected around 2020-2021,” concluded Heru.
