ACeS
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ACeS (Asia Cellular Satellite) is a regional satellite telecommunications company based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It offers GSM-like satellite telephony services to Asian market. The coverage area includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, China and some part of India. The company operates Garuda 1 satellite, launched on February 12, 2000. A second satellite (Garuda 2) was planned but never materialized. ACeS was formed by a joint venture of PT. Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunication (LMGT), Jasmine International Overseas Ltd of Thailand and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT). ACeS services are marketed by National Service Providers (NSPs) in six countries; PT. Pasifik Satelit Nusantara in Indonesia, ACeS Regional Services in Thailand, Smart ACeS in the Philippines, TMTouch/Celcom in Malaysia, AVCO in Nepal and Mobitel in Sri Lanka.
The satellite and most network operations are controlled by ACeS Network Control Center in Batam Island, Indonesia. The NSPs operate ground stations which provide links to the terrestrial telephone networks.
ACeS has been assigned the virtual country code +88220, an international networks code rather than a GMSS code as the system does not operate globally. The company currently supplies only one handset type, the Ericsson R190, which derived many components from GH688 model[1]. R190 is a dual-mode Satellite/GSM phone which automatically switches to satellite mode when terrestrial GSM network is not available. It accepts standard GSM SIM cards, and since ACeS has international roaming agreements with many GSM networks worldwide, the phone can be used in virtually any country. The handset supports most standard services such as call forward and call waiting but does not support short message service (SMS) in satellite mode. The demise of Ericsson mobile phone business in 2001 has left ACeS with no other handset available to offer to its customers.
At its conception, ACeS network was designed to serve up to 2 million subscribers. It aimed for markets unserved by regular terrestrial cellular networks, such as rural areas, mining industries and marine applications. As of 2008, ACeS has fewer than 20,000 subscribers. The company has failed to attract more customers, and with its huge debt and its only satellite nearing its end of life, ACeS is considered a commercial failure. To escape bankruptcy, in 2006 ACeS entered into a collaboration agreement with Inmarsat.[2].
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[edit] Garuda 1 satellite
The Garuda 1 satellite was launched on February 12, 2000. The launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, was conducted by International Launch Services, using a Proton rocket with a Block 1 DM upper stage.[3]
