ISLAMABAD, Dec 29: The country’s first commercial satellite, Paksat-1, has reached its orbital position at 38 degrees east and has completed its initial manoeuvres to lock itself in a geosynchronous orbit, 36,000km above the earth.

National Telecommunication Corporation Chairman Air Vice-Marshal Azhar Maud said at a presentation to newspersons on Sunday that the satellite would start functioning from Feb 1, 2003.

He said a limited use of the satellite would help earn revenue and it could be used for educational, Internet and data networking at low costs.

He said the orbital slot was due to expire on April 19, 2003.

According to reports received from Frequency Allocation Board here and Suparco in Lahore, the satellite had stabilized at its location and its beacons were successfully received at the monitoring centres, he said.

The chairman said the satellite would be ready for commercial operations after comprehensive in-orbit testing and ground coverage survey, expected to take place till the end of January.

Its beacon frequencies were being received at the telemetry, tracking and control stations in Perth, Australia, after being relayed from Rugby in England.

The frequencies are also being monitored at Suparco and the Frequency Allocation Board facilities.

The transponder testing would begin in early January, he said.

In the past, five slots were allocated to the country in the orbit, which could not be exploited.

“If this slot was not protected by the government by bringing in a satellite and placing it there, this strategic asset and any future opportunity to enter the space would have been lost forever,” the NTC chairman said.

He said the government had acquired the use of the in-orbit satellite in July from the Hughes Global System (HGS) of the United States, for a low cost and planning was under way for a follow-on satellite to fully exploit the slot.

The HGS is assisting the government in frequency coordination and training of manpower.

Replying to a question, he said the country would be able to build its indigenous commercial satellite by 2008.

Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Chairman Akhtar Ahmed Bajwa and advisor to the information technology and telecommunication minister, Salman Azhar Ansari, were also present.—APP