State telecom enterprise TOT has stated the company has clinched a cooperation deal with Mu Space Corp., a Thai satellite and space tech startup, to venture into the LEO satellite business as a potential revenue stream.
The memorandum of understanding between TOT and Mu Space, which was signed last month, starts with a joint study and testing of program coding for server payload in rockets in a trial for signal transmission. this move highlights TOT’s plan to embark on global satellite business, with the initial step of providing a gateway station for the LEO satellite business before striving to own satellites through a consortium model in the future.
TOT also set up a working group to study and conduct a lab test for LEO satellite operations earlier this year, which consists of 60 TOT executives and staff as well as a small group of science-based high school students under the TOT academy.
TOT acting president Morakot Thienmontree said the LEO satellite development is seen as a revolution in mobility connectivity in the new economy, especially in the next 3-5 years, when the technology is expected to mature commercially worldwide. He said, “We do not want to miss this train of innovation” and added that TOT needs to create new revenue streams in the long run. “The LEO satellite business is compatible with 5G tech, but it could be a tech killer for traditional telecom infrastructure providers in the future.”
The cooperation with Mu Space includes trial program coding for server payload in rockets. Mu Space is responsible for booking payload quotas in the rockets for testing.
The test is needed to see the stability and related impact on the communication signal through the servers when rockets are launched and returned to base. This could be a start for TOT venturing into the LEO satellite business.
TOT has one satellite gateway station in Bangkok and another in the Northeast.
News posting authored by journalist Komsan Toprtermvasana for the Bangkok Post