Asia Satellite Telecommunications(AsiaSat) has announced the major expansion of its Tai Po Earth Station in Hong Kong.

The project consists of a 900 square metre addition for equipment and a 600 square metre area for additional TVROs, and the construction of infrastructure to support the installation of new communications antennas. Construction work for the expansion of the earth station has commenced and is expected to be completed in early 2012.

The AsiaSat Tai Po Earth Station is a state-of-the-art satellite control facility for supporting the Telemetry, Tracking and Control (TT and C) activities of AsiaSat's satellite fleet, while providing a broad range of value added services to customers including DVB-S2/S MCPC platforms, turnaround and uplink services, conditional access, playout service and fibre connectivity.

As the heart of control and operations, the earth station houses AsiaSat's Satellite Control Centre which provides 24/7 operational and customer services in addition to occasional use service booking.

"Our continued investment in expanding our facilities highlights our unwavering commitment to providing more diverse and comprehensive services to our customers. Many customers are looking for a turnkey solution with a trusted long-term partner, and AsiaSat is their first choice. The expanded ground infrastructure and facilities will also support the future needs of our fleet expansion," said William Wade, President and Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat.