Geostationary Communication Satellites Serving Indonesian Territory
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A comprehensive analysis and index of active GEO communication satellites operating in the equatorial arc from 95°E to 154°E serving Indonesia.
Spanning an archipelagic expanse of over 17,000 islands and stretching nearly 46° across the equatorial line (95° E to 141° E), Indonesia presents unique telecommunication challenges. Laying terrestrial fiber-optic cables across deep maritime trenches is often cost-prohibitive or physically impractical. Consequently, Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) communication satellites stationed along the equatorial arc serve as the primary backhaul and connectivity mechanism for the country’s digital economy, financial grid, broadcast networks, and public services.
Complete Geo Arc Satellite Asset Index (95° E to 154° E)
The following table indexes active geostationary payloads stationed above and adjacent to Indonesian territorial longitudes, including operators, technical specifications, and remaining operational lifespans.
| Orbital Slot | Satellite Name | Satellite Operator | Country | Satellite Manufacturer | Bus Type | Launch Date & Vehicle | Transponders & Band Payload | Footprint / Coverage Area | Est. Age (Yrs) | Est. Remaining Life |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95.0° E | Express-AM33 | RSCC | Russia | ISS Reshetnev | Express-1000N | Jan 28, 2008 Proton-M / Briz-M | 10 C, 16 Ku, 1 L-band | Russia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia | 18.5 | Exceeded (Extended) |
| 97.5° E | Express-AM5 | RSCC | Russia | ISS Reshetnev | Express-2000 | Dec 26, 2013 Proton-M / Briz-M | 30 C, 40 Ku, 12 Ka, 2 L-band | Russian Far East, Siberia, N. Pacific | 12.6 | ~2.4 yrs |
| 100.5° E | AsiaSat 5 | AsiaSat | Hong Kong | Maxar (SS/L) | SSL-1300 | Aug 12, 2009 Proton-M / Briz-M | 26 C-band, 14 Ku-band | Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Australasia | 17.0 | End of Design Life |
| 103.0° E | Express-AM6 | RSCC | Russia | ISS Reshetnev | Express-2000 | Oct 21, 2014 Proton-M / Briz-M | 14 C, 44 Ku, 12 Ka, 2 L-band | Russia, Europe, Middle East, S. Asia | 11.8 | ~3.2 yrs |
| 105.5° E | AsiaSat 7 | AsiaSat | Hong Kong | Maxar (SS/L) | SSL-1300 | Nov 25, 2011 Proton-M / Briz-M | 28 C-band, 17 Ku-band, 1 Ka-band | Asia, Middle East, Australasia, CIS | 14.7 | ~0.3 yrs |
| 108.0° E | Merah Putih (Telkom-4) | PT Telkom Indonesia | Indonesia | Maxar (SSL) | SSL-1300 | Aug 7, 2018 SpaceX Falcon 9 | 60 C-band transponders | Indonesia, Southeast Asia, India | 8.0 | ~7.0 yrs |
| 108.2° E | SES-9 | SES S.A. | Luxembourg | Boeing Satellite Systems | BSS-702HP | Mar 4, 2016 SpaceX Falcon 9 | 81 Ku-band transponders | South Asia, Philippines, Indonesia | 10.4 | ~4.6 yrs |
| 110.0° E | BSAT-4a | B-SAT | Japan | Maxar (SSL) | SSL-1300 | Sep 29, 2017 Ariane 5 ECA | 24 Ku-band transponders | Japan (4K/8K Ultra-HD) | 8.9 | ~6.1 yrs |
| 110.5° E | ChinaSat 10 | China Satcom | China | CAST | DFH-4 | Jun 20, 2011 Long March 3B | 30 C-band, 16 Ku-band | China, Southeast Asia, South Asia | 15.1 | End of Design Life |
| 113.0° E | Merah Putih 2 (HTS-113BT) | Telkomsat | Indonesia | Thales Alenia Space | Spacebus 4000B2 | Feb 20, 2024 SpaceX Falcon 9 | HTS (>32 Gbps C & Ku-band) | Indonesia, maritime border sectors | 2.5 | ~12.5 yrs |
| 115.5° E | ChinaSat 6B | China Satcom | China | Thales Alenia Space | Spacebus 4000C2 | Jul 5, 2007 Long March 3B | 38 C-band transponders | China, East Asia, SE Asia, Pacific | 19.1 | Exceeded (Extended) |
| 116.0° E | Koreasat 6 | KT SAT | South Korea | Thales Alenia Space | Spacebus 4000B2 | Dec 29, 2010 Ariane 5 ECA | 30 Ku-band transponders | Korean Peninsula, East Asia | 15.6 | End of Design Life |
| 118.0° E | Telkom-3S | PT Telkom Indonesia | Indonesia | Thales Alenia Space | Spacebus 4000B2 | Feb 14, 2017 Ariane 5 ECA | 24 C, 8 Ext. C, 10 Ku-band | Indonesia, Malaysia, SE Asia | 9.5 | ~5.5 yrs |
| 119.5° E | Thaicom 4 (IPSTAR) | Thaicom | Thailand | Maxar (SS/L) | SSL-1300 | Aug 11, 2005 Ariane 5 GS | HTS (84 Ku spot, 3 Ka, 45 Gbps) | Asia-Pacific, Australia, India, China | 21.0 | Exceeded (Near Retirement) |
| 122.2° E | AsiaSat 9 | AsiaSat | Hong Kong | Maxar (SSL) | SSL-1300 | Sep 28, 2017 Proton-M / Briz-M | 28 C, 32 Ku, Ka-band payload | Asia-Pacific, Australasia, Indonesia | 8.9 | ~6.1 yrs |
| 124.0° E | JCSAT-16 | SKY Perfect JSAT | Japan | Space Systems/Loral | SSL-1300 | Aug 14, 2016 SpaceX Falcon 9 | C-band & Ku-band transponders | Japan, East Asia, Asia-Pacific | 10.0 | ~5.0 yrs |
| 125.0° E | ChinaSat 26 | China Satcom | China | CAST | DFH-4E | Feb 23, 2023 Long March 3B | VHTS (50 Ka spot, >100 Gbps) | China, Russia, SE Asia, India | 3.5 | ~11.5 yrs |
| 128.0° E | JCSAT-3A | SKY Perfect JSAT | Japan | Maxar (SS/L) | SSL-1300 | Aug 11, 2006 Ariane 5 ECA | 30 Ku-band, 12 C-band | Japan, East Asia, Hawaii, Australasia | 20.0 | Exceeded (Extended) |
| 132.0° E | Vinasat-2 | VNPT | Vietnam | Lockheed Martin | A2100A | May 15, 2012 Ariane 5 ECA | 24 Ku-band transponders | Vietnam, Southeast Asia | 14.2 | ~0.8 yrs |
| 134.0° E | APSTAR 6D | APT Satellite | Hong Kong | CAST / CGWIC | DFH-4E | Jul 9, 2020 Long March 3B/E | HTS (90 Ku spot, 8 Ka gateway) | China, SE Asia, Australia, Pacific | 6.1 | ~8.9 yrs |
| 138.0° E | Telstar 18 VANTAGE | Telesat / APT Sat | Canada / HK | Maxar (SSL) | SSL-1300 | Sep 10, 2018 SpaceX Falcon 9 | C & Ku-band HTS spot beams | Asia-Pacific, India, Indonesia | 7.9 | ~7.1 yrs |
| 140.7° E | Himawari 9 | JMA | Japan | Mitsubishi Electric | DS2000 | Nov 2, 2016 H-IIA 202 | Advanced Meteorological Imager | East Asia, Western Pacific, Australia | 9.8 | ~5.2 yrs |
| 142.0° E | APSTAR 9 | APT Satellite | Hong Kong | CAST | DFH-4 | Oct 16, 2015 Long March 3B | 32 C-band, 14 Ku-band | Asia-Pacific, Indian Ocean | 10.8 | ~4.2 yrs |
| 146.0° E | SATRIA-1 (Nusantara Tiga) | PT SNT / BAKTI | Indonesia | Thales Alenia Space | Spacebus Neo L6 | Jun 18, 2023 SpaceX Falcon 9 | VHTS (116 Ka spot, 150 Gbps) | Entire Indonesian Archipelago (3T) | 3.1 | ~11.9 yrs |
| 146.0° E | Nusantara Satu (PSN VI) | PT PSN | Indonesia | Maxar (SSL) | SSL-1300 | Feb 22, 2019 SpaceX Falcon 9 | 26 C, 12 Ku-band HTS spot | Indonesia, Southeast Asia | 7.5 | ~7.5 yrs |
| 150.5° E | BRIsat | Bank Rakyat Indonesia | Indonesia | Maxar (SSL) | SSL-1300 | Jun 18, 2016 Ariane 5 ECA | 36 C-band, 9 Ku-band | Indonesia, SE Asia, W. Australia | 10.1 | ~4.9 yrs |
| 152.0° E | Optus D2 | Singtel Optus | Australia | Orbital ATK | Star-2.1 | Oct 5, 2007 Ariane 5 GS | 24 Ku-band transponders | Australia, NZ, Papua New Guinea | 18.8 | Exceeded (Near Retirement) |
| 154.0° E | JCSAT-2B | SKY Perfect JSAT | Japan | Maxar (SSL) | SSL-1300 | May 6, 2016 SpaceX Falcon 9 | 32 Ku-band, 20 C-band | Japan, East Asia, Asia-Pacific | 10.2 | ~4.8 yrs |
In-Depth Profiles of Primary Indonesian National Satellites
INDONESIAN GEO FLEET SPAN
108° E 113° E 118° E 146° E 150.5° E
+---------+ +----------+ +----------+ +-----------+ +----------+
| TELKOM-4| | MERAH | | TELKOM-3S| | SATRIA-1 | | BRISAT |
| (Merah | | PUTIH 2 | | | | & PSN VI | | (Banking)|
| Putih) | | (HTS) | | | | (VHTS) | | |
+---------+ +----------+ +----------+ +-----------+ +----------+1. SATRIA-1 (Satelit Republik Indonesia / Nusantara Tiga) — 146° E
- Operator: PT Satelit Nusantara Tiga (SNT) in partnership with BAKTI (Ministry of Communication and Digital / Komdigi).
- Architecture: Built on Thales Alenia Space’s all-electric Spacebus Neo Level 6 platform.
- Payload Capacity: 116 Ka-band spot beams offering a total system throughput of 150 Gbps (Very High Throughput Satellite / VHTS).
- Strategic Role: Directly targets non-commercial connectivity in remote, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions. It powers digital education, remote healthcare facilities, and local government offices across the archipelago.
2. Merah Putih 2 (Telkomsat HTS-113BT) — 113° E
- Operator: PT Telkom Data Ekosistem / Telkomsat.
- Architecture: Spacebus 4000B2 platform built by Thales Alenia Space.
- Payload Capacity: High Throughput Satellite (HTS) architecture carrying active C-band and Ku-band transponders delivering over 32 Gbps in capacity.
- Strategic Role: Expands enterprise connectivity, maritime vessel communication (ESIM), and cellular backhaul for 4G/5G base transceiver stations across Indonesia’s territory.
3. Merah Putih (Telkom-4) — 108° E
- Operator: PT Telkom Indonesia Tbk.
- Architecture: Maxar SSL-1300 platform.
- Payload Capacity: 60 Standard C-band transponders (36 assigned to domestic and Southeast Asian coverage, 24 assigned to the South Asian / Indian sub-continent beam).
- Strategic Role: Acts as the primary broadcasting hub for television networks, DTH services, and core telecommunication backhaul.
4. BRIsat — 150.5° E
- Operator: Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).
- Architecture: Maxar SSL-1300 bus.
- Payload Capacity: 36 C-band and 9 Ku-band transponders.
- Strategic Role: Holds the record as the world’s first dedicated satellite owned and operated by a banking institution. It links tens of thousands of rural ATM terminals, island bank branches, and maritime mobile banking units.
Technical Spectrum & Frequency Allocation Dynamics
Satellite operations within Indonesia are governed by the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) through the Tabel Alokasi Spektrum Frekuensi Radio Indonesia (TASFRI).
FREQUENCY SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT
[ C-Band: 3.7 - 4.2 GHz ] [ Ku-Band: 10.7 - 12.75 GHz ] [ Ka-Band: 17.7 - 20.2 GHz ]
* Low Rain Attenuation - Medium Capacity - Ultra-High Throughput (HTS)
* Critical Infra & Banking - Enterprise & DTH TV - Target for 3T Broadband- Standard C-Band Protection: Given Indonesia’s extreme tropical rainfall profile, C-band (3.7 GHz - 4.2 GHz) remains indispensable for mission-critical infrastructure, as it experiences negligible rain fade compared to higher frequencies.
- 5G Spectrum Refarming (3.4 – 3.7 GHz): The lower portion of Extended C-band has been refarmed for terrestrial 5G/IMT deployments. To mitigate inter-system interference, Komdigi mandates specialized pass-band filters on ground station receivers located near active 5G cells.
- Ka-Band Rain Fade Engineering: VHTS payloads operating in Ka-band (such as SATRIA-1) deploy Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM), Uplink Power Control (ULPC), and geographically distributed ground gateways across separate micro-climate zones (e.g., Batam, Cikarang, Pontianak, Manado, Jayapura) to bypass localized convective rainstorms.
Multimedia References
A practical demonstration of tuning and receiver configuration on the Telkom-4 (Merah Putih) C-band satellite payload: