Mabuhay’s Agila 2 satellite joins elite cast in US FCC list

Mabuhay Philippines Satellite Corp. is now on the US Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) ‘permitted space station’ list after receiving certification from the FCC. It is the first Asian satellite to be on that list.

The granting of the certification means that the Mabuhay’s Agila 2 satellite has fully complied with the FCC’s technical requirements and allows US-owned and operated Earth stations in Hawaii to access Agila 2. Mabuhay is a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).

Mabuhay’s Agila 2 joins six other non-US satellites (two Canadian, two Mexican and one each from France and Brazil) on the select FCC list. The certification is of significant benefit to Mabuhay as it makes it much easier for US-based Earth stations to gain approval to communicate with Agila 2.

US Earth stations using a non-US satellite usually have to submit numerous technical documents, only to be granted a temporary six-month permit, a process that often takes three to six months to complete.

"This big breakthrough caps an impressive performance by Mabuhay during the last year," according to Gane Pimentel, Mabuhay president. The company has moved into a profitable position and is enjoying strong demand for its transponders from a wide range of international customers.

He said it is also widely recognized that Mabuhay outside of the US satellite operators offers one of the best satellite connections between the US and Asia. Proof of that, he emphasized, is demonstrated by the fact that around 90 percent of the company’s standard C-band transponders and 67 percent of the extended C-band transponders are now leased out.

Mabuhay’s list of customers now includes some of the biggest Internet-over-Satellite players in the world including Loral Cyberstar, Interpacket (Veristar), Hutchison and Singapore Teleports.

Agila 2's footprint covers the entire Asia-Pacific region, including India, Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Nepal. The satellite is equipped with 30 C-band transponders used for telecommunications, broadcast and Internet, and 24 Ku transponders suitable for direct-to-home and satellite newsgathering services.

This DTH services allows high quality transmission even in remote areas of the region and also provides back-up systems for the region’s telephony network.

Pimentel said much of the demand for satellite bandwidth is due to the huge Internet (IP) bandwidth requirement in Asian region. Capitalizing on its powerful spot beam over Hawaii and its strategic partnerships with teleports in Oahu, Hawaii, Mabuhay offers customers cost-effective and high-speed Internet access.

Aside from being the acknowledged gateway to the US where the majority of the Internet bandwidth is hosted, Hawaii is a major node for submarine cable systems, such as the new Southern Cross link, connecting New Zealand. Australia, Asia, and the US mainland with a fully redundant capacity of 1230 Gbps.

In addition, Hawaii hosts major telecommunications companies like AT&T, GTE. Sprint, UUNET, GST, Time Warner and MCI WorldCom all of which provide Tier 1 lease line connectivity and frame-relay services to the US mainland.

Through its teleport partners in Hawaii, Mabuhay also offers services for video and broadcast customers. These include content contribution and distribution from the US directly to Asian cable operators, and distribution of Asian ethnic channels to the US via direct TV systems.

The company’s Internet over Satellite service provides Internet connectivity throughout the Philippines and Asia with one way or two way asymmetric Internet connection up to 45 mbps direct to US gateway using small disk and receiver router.