FINAL REPORT: DEFINITIONAL MISSION TO AZERBAIJAN:
AZERCOSMOS – AZERSPACE-2 FEASIBILITY STUDY
August 07, 2013
Space Partnership International
56
3.14 TERMS OF REFERENCE
The DM Contractor shall provide Terms of Reference (TOR) for the activity(ies). The TOR, which must be
endorsed by the Project Sponsor, shall include, at a minimum, the following: Terms of Reference
This should explain how the activity relates to the proposed project.
Aim of the Terms of reference
Azercosmos is planning to launch a second geosynchronous satellite in order to provide additional
communication, broadcasting, and high-speed internet services to Azerbaijan and other countries in
a combination of C, Ku and Ka frequency bands. In order to obtain the necessary government
approvals and financial support, Azercosmos must prepare and present a comprehensive feasibility
study that justifies the procurement and launch of Azerspace-2. The objective of the study is to
work with Azercosmos management:
To develop a clear vision for the business and the business model, clarity regarding
investor, management, and related stakeholder views, and expectations about how this
business should develop over time;
To create a clear, defensible picture of what the market potential is for the Azerspace-2
satellite system, the sources of value in defining the services to be provided,
the nature of
buyer segments, the nature of direct and indirect competition, and options for service
positioning and partnerships;
To produce a comprehensive plan for achieving the stated Azercosmos business and
financial objectives, while defining the risks and alternatives and the relative strengths
and weaknesses of these alternatives in terms of business performance.
This effort should be broken down into the following general sections to include:
Review of Azercosmos baseline objectives
Feasibility study and comprehensive business plan
Detailed market and competitive assessment, including market access strategies
Orbital
slot evaluation, frequency, and regulatory analysis
Review of financing options
Evaluation of U.S. export opportunities
Benefit derived from the satellite program to Azerbaijan
Objective: The Study will determine the technical, economic, and financial feasibility of the
procurement, financing, launch and operation of the Azerspace-2 communications satellite that
would cover Azerbaijan, its surrounding region and Africa (however the exact coverage of the
Azerspace-2 satellite may be modified or narrowed for the purpose of this Study depending on the
likely orbital slot to be used). The Study will confirm and characterize market demand, assess
options and availability of orbital slots, provide a conceptual design and technical configuration of
the satellite, estimate the capital and operating costs, perform a risk assessment, and develop a
financial model with a profitability analysis.
Contractor shall include the following tasks designed to address the issues identified for each of the
categories listed above:
FINAL REPORT: DEFINITIONAL MISSION TO AZERBAIJAN:
AZERCOSMOS – AZERSPACE-2 FEASIBILITY STUDY
August 07, 2013
Space Partnership International
57
Task 1 – Review of baseline objectives
The Contractor shall familiarize itself with Azercosmos and its stakeholders, including the Ministry
of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), as well as their objectives for the
Project. This shall include a review of the proposed technical design of the satellite, its capabilities,
coverage areas, and service offerings being contemplated. The Contractor shall also review any
previous market, financial, or technical governmental reports covering the Azerspace-1
and Azerspace-2 programs.
Task 1 Deliverable:
The Contractor shall conduct a lessons learned review of Azerspace-1 to identify technical, market,
and business shortcomings and best practices that can be addressed or applied, respectively, to the
Azerspace-2 program. The Contractor shall produce a report providing the findings from Task 1.
Task 2 - Market Demand Study, Competitive Assessment and Analysis
The Contractor shall assess the market for transponders within geographic areas that could be
served by the Azerspace-2 satellite. This analysis shall include the following:
Define services that are optimally provided
by communication satellites, including
Broadcast Satellite Services and Fixed Satellite Services in the C, Ku and Ka frequency
bands;
Identify current and anticipated supply of transponders in each
service for the specified
geographical region;
Identify current and future demand for satellite services in the specified geographical
region;
Determine likely end users and provide qualitative description of their service
requirements;
Undertake a competitive analysis utilizing supply and demand analysis
as well as pricing
information;
Using a scenario-based approach to assess the impact of technical and market trends in
global satellite telecommunications on the expected demand for Azerspace-2 derived
services;
Develop a preliminary market plan for the wholesale sales of Azerspace-2 transponder
capacity. This shall include market targets and estimated pricing for the transponders,
satellite fill rate, and identifying distribution channels/partner candidates.
Task 2 Deliverable:
The Contractor shall provide a preliminary assessment of the market conditions and develop a
marketing plan.
Task 3 – Orbital Slot Evaluation and Spectrum Assessment
The Contractor shall perform a detailed due diligence to determine the current frequency-
coordination situation for Azerspace-2 for all frequency bands of interest to Azercosmos.
Specifically, it is necessary to establish the availability of orbital positions for Azerspace-2 and to
determine availability of an orbital position directly through International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) process.
In the case of a third-party slot arrangement, the Contractor shall analyze the technical
characteristics and filing priorities of orbit positions through the processes of the ITU.