PARIS — Vietnam’s Audio Visual Global Co. JSC (AVG) will lease 2.5 transponders on the SES World Skies NSS-6 satellite starting late this year, with an option for an additional transponder likely to be exercised in mid-2011 by the newly licensed satellite-television provider, SES announced May 27.
The multiyear agreement comes less than a month after the state-owned Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group contracted for a second telecommunications satellite from Lockheed Martin, saying its first spacecraft — the Vinasat-1 launched in 2008 — is 80 percent full and likely will reach full capacity utilization by 2012. Vinasat-2 is scheduled for launch in 2012.
“Vietnam is one of the fastest growing pay-TV markets in the Asia-Pacific,” SES World Skies Senior Vice President Scott Sprague said in a statement. “SES World Skies is proud to have partnered with the only fully private pay-TV operator in Vietnam, and plans to support AVG’s fast and robust growth strategy.”
AVG is part of Vietnam’s An Vien Group, a diversified industrial conglomerate, and has been licensed to provide digital terrestrial television as well as satellite television services. The company plans to offer up to 80 television channels in Vietnam.
NSS-6 is located at 95 degrees east longitude in geostationary orbit.
