AsiaSat And Telstra Share Networks

Australian telecom giant Telstra and Hong Kong-based Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. said on Tuesday they had established a framework for Telstra to use AsiaSat satellite capacity in Asia, including Australia.

Under the agreement, Telstra has reserved four Ku-band transponders on AsiaSat 3S satellite's steerable beam, the two companies said in a statement.

The high power steerable beam would be fixed over Australia to support new broadband satellite services, the statement said.

A Telstra director said the agreement would boost the already significant satellite capacity available to Telstra and the Internet protocol backbone company joint venture to be established with Hong Kong's Pacific Century CyberWorks.

"This significant additional capacity via four Ku-band transponders on AsiaSat 3S, as well as the associated flexibility for regional C-band wide coverage on AsiaSat satellites, will further boost our ability to provide seamless regional global connectivity for customers," the director said.