Australian Official Says Singtel Sale Did Not Drive Australia's W6s Decision

摘要

The decision by Australia's Department of Defence to purchase a stake in the U.S. military's Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) system was made after considering other alternatives arid was not heavily motivated by the fact that Australia's domestic satellite operator, Optus, is owned by SingTel of Singapore, according to Peter Kerr, head of satellite communications in the C3I division of Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation.rn"It was a two-part decision based first on requirements, and second on time pressures," Kerr said Nov. 4 during the Global Milsatcom conference organized by SMi Group. "It was opportunistic, as was our decision to purchase part of the Optus Cl."rnThe Optus Cl satellite was launched in 2003 and carries a commercial payload for SingTel/Optus and a military payload for the Australian Defence Force. It is currently Australia's primary military telecommunications satellite, although Australian defense authorities also make widespread use of L-band mobile satellite capacity offered by Inmarsat of London.rnIt was after the Optus Cl decision was made that Optus was purchased by SingTel. "That caused some angst, but is no longer viewed as an issue," Kerr said.