Carlos Slim, Mexican telecommunications magnate and richest man in the world, has seen his latest reach into Europe put on hold after a Dutch anti-monopoly agency said it would review whether his América Móvil's $9.5 billion offer for all remaining shares on Dutch telecommunications giant Royal KPN would violate anti-trust laws. But Slim's grip on Latin America is only tightening. Brazilian satellite operator Star One, which is part of the Embratel unit of Slim's empire, announced on Thursday that it will invest $400 million in its "Star One D1" satellite.
In a press release, the company said that Star One D1, the biggest satellite to be built by the company, will be equipped with C-, Ku-, and Ka-band payloads which will assure that it can broaden satellite service capacities in Brazil, South America, Central America, and Mexico. The Star One D1 will be built by Space Systems Loral, a Canadian-American company, and the French corporation Arianespace will put it into orbit.
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The spacecraft is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2016, in time for the Olympic games which are set to take place in Rio de Janeiro. According to Animal Politico, Star One D1 belongs to the fourth generation of satellites from Star One. Slim is putting the company to quick and significant use -- it was owned by GE Satellite Holdings as recently as 2011.
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The president of Embratel, José Formoso, said that the "strategic" launch will allow the company to broaden the satellite capacity "especially on Ka- band, for the transmission of information, cell-phone backhaul (transmission to networks) and attention to the National Broadband Plan", according to El Nacional.
Details on the National Broadband Plan, a project from the Mexican government to expand broadband internet service throughout the country, is said to be slated for release at the end of 2013. It will reportedly be financed in part by the Inter-American Development Bank, which will be putting $550,000 dollars for the establishment and widespread distribution of infrastructure. It aims to include about 20 million Mexicans.
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Gustavo Silbert, the president of Star One, also said that the move will strengthen the company in the Brazilian market and make it one of the ten biggest satellite companies in the world, according to El Nacional.
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