Gizmologi.com — The government is one step ahead in realizing the Indonesian space bridge with the Indonesia Raya 1 Multifunction Satellite (SMF) (SATRIA-1). The Minister of Communications and Information, Johnny G. Plate, stated that in addition to preparing for launch, he is also preparing an earth station for a satellite that will become a telecommunications space bridge, especially in the leading, underdeveloped and outermost (3T) areas.
“It is currently in the manufacturing process in Cannes, France which is being carried out by Thales Alenia Space. In Indonesia a number of activities were held. One of them is the construction of Earth Station Satellites, which will be placed in 11 locations, such as Cikarang, Batam, Banjarmasin, Tarakan, Pontianak, Kupang, Ambon, Manado, Manokwari, Timika and Jayapura,” explained Minister Johnny while reviewing the construction site for the SATRIA Earth Satellite Control Room- 1 on Jl. Dusun III, Kel. Balok. Kec. West Kupang, Kab. Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Wednesday (23/02/2022).
The construction of 11 earth stations to connect space bridges, according to the Minister of Communication and Information, shows the Government’s seriousness in pursuing the target of the SATRIA-1 Satellite Project. The Information Telecommunications Accessibility Agency (BAKTI) of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology built gateways in these 11 locations with the consideration of equitable access and acceleration of digital transformation.
“The government, on behalf of the Ministry of Communication and Information who appointed it, continues to strive to provide connectivity evenly in all corners of the country. As the main foundation in digital transformation. So the Satria Project is expected to support the acceleration of digital transformation by connecting the unconnected, to connect all the dots ,” he said.
Minister Johnny explained that the construction of SATRIA-1 also involved local government and community leaders, especially with regard to the placement of earth stations.
“BAKTI Kominfo and PT Satellite Nusantara III also approached local governments and community leaders in locations around the gateway . This is to provide an explanation of the benefits that will be received directly or indirectly from the Satria project,” he said.
Currently, there are three types of earth stations prepared by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics. First, the Primary Satellite Controller which functions as a central station for controlling and supervising the flow of satellite movements to control the signal reception process. Second, Network Operation Control (NOC) functions to monitor, control and record ongoing network activities to ensure that everything goes according to predetermined standards and plans.
And third, the Satellite Gateway (also referred to as teleport or HUB), is an earth station that sends data to and from the satellite to the local area network .
150.000 Public Service Points
The Minister of Communication and Information revealed that on August 18, 2021, the groundbreaking for the Primary Satellite Control Center Station, Network Operation Control and Gateway Project SATRIA-1 was carried out in Cikarang, Kab. Bekasi, West Java.
“This marks the start of construction for the earth segment of the SATRIA-1 Project, as well as shows that even though we are still in the midst of a pandemic situation, we continue to serve the community,” he said.
In addition to building an Earth Station, BAKTI of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics is preparing points that will get internet access from SATRIA-1. According to Minister Johnny, apart from being a backup, SATRIA-1 will also function as an increase in service capacity for telecommunications.
“According to BAKTI’s calculations, the backup satellite needs to have a capacity of around 80Gbps. Meanwhile, SATRIA-1 has a transmission capacity of 150Gbps. In terms of construction, this satellite will start on September 3, 2020. Then, it will be launched according to schedule, namely in the second quarter of 2023 and can operate commercially no later than November 17 of the same year,” he explained.
The SATRIA-1 satellite is targeted to reach 150,000 public service points, the most for schools and Islamic boarding schools (93,900) to support Distance Learning (PJJ) and computer-based exams. The satellite will also provide internet access for health centers and hospitals at 3,700 points and 3,900 public security service points in the 3T area.
“In addition, this satellite will reach 47,900 points of village, sub-district, sub-district and other regional government offices as well as 600 other public service points,” said the Minister of Communication and Information.
During the review, the Minister of Communication and Information, Johnny G. Plate, was accompanied by the Special Staff for Political Communication, Philip Gobang; Regent of Kupang Regency, Korinus Masneno; Head of the General Bureau, Sensilaus Dore and Head of Kupang Class I Radio Frequency Spectrum Balmon, Latuse.
