The government will support India's move to launch a 'Saarc Satellite' provided that it would not affect the business and operational frequency of Bangabandhu satellite.

From the onset, Bangladesh was with this initiative, but the local authority has some concerns, said Tarana Halim, state minister for telecom, before leaving for Barcelona to attend the World Mobile Congress.

To resolve the confusion, a specialised committee was formed, which has already given the green light.

The committee held several meetings with experts on the possibility of overlapping frequencies between the two satellites, and came to the decision.

The telecom division has forwarded the proposal to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the final approval.

“We are positive about the Saarc satellite, but at the same time, we need to ensure our own satellite's business as well,” Tarana said.

The government has already taken steps to form a company to run the commercial issues of the Bangabandhu satellite, which will be in orbit before the Saarc satellite.

The Bangabandhu satellite will be launched by December 2017 at a cost of Tk 2,967 crore. French company Thales Alenia Space has already started its process to design the satellite, which will have a lifetime of 15 years.

“If the PM approves the matter, we will then give the official consent to India. We have nothing to worry about. Rather, we can see some positive things from that satellite,” Tarana added. Scheduled to be launched in December from Sriharikota, India, the Saarc satellite will be funded, built, launched and controlled by India. The satellite's lifetime will be of 12 years.

At the Saarc summit in Kathmandu in 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged member countries to join the Saarc communication satellite initiative.

Later, the Indian high commissions sent letters to the Saarc countries, asking everyone to support the common satellite. “This initiative from India is voluntary in nature and the Saarc countries are free to join this initiative,” said the satellite's concept paper.

The Saarc countries will be able to use the satellite for education, health and emergency communication, it added.

The Indian Space Research Organisation also arranged different meetings with member countries to finalise the modalities to develop such a satellite exclusively for regional grouping, but it is yet to be done.

India is yet to apply to the International Telecommunication Union for an orbital slot, as the member countries have not given their approvals.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the telecom division said although the two slots are far from each other, there could be a conflict on the issue of landing rights and frequency coordination.

The Bangabandhu satellite will have a capacity of 40 transponders -- one transponder is equivalent to 36 MHz. It has the ability to cover areas from Indonesia and the Philippines to Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The Saarc satellite will have a capacity of 12 transponders, with the ability to cover the Saarc region only, according to the concept paper.