Zhang Haitao, vice minister of the State Administration of
Radio, Film and TV (SARFT), said on Tuesday that China will launch
two direct-broadcast satellites in the middle of next year to serve
TV and radio customers in remote regions. They will be capable of
transmitting more than 100 channels.
Speaking at a Satellite Industry Forum during the China Cable
Broadcasting Network Exhibition in Beijing, he said that the
domestically made SinoSat 2 satellite will serve as a primary
satellite, while ChinaSat 9, built by Alcatel, will be used as a
backup.
Zhang said China will also accelerate the pace of development of
broadcasting satellites.
Guo Yansheng, deputy director of SARFT's Science and Technology
Committee, said that the TV and radio penetration rate has reached
95 percent through cable TV and terrestrial broadcasting.
Satellite broadcasting is expected to play an important role in
further penetration.
A single percentage point expansion of the penetration rate is
estimated to cost between 3 and 4 billion yuan (US$360 to 480
million), making total investment needed for a saturation network
huge.
Some cable TV operators are worried that satellite broadcasting
will lure away their customers, but Guo said that the satellite
system mainly targets rural and remote regions not served by cable
systems.
China's goal is to provide TV and radio broadcasts to every
village in the country.
(China Daily March 23, 2005)