Mabuhay Satellite Corp., a unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), said Tuesday it had sealed a deal with Viettel Corp., a telecom provider in Vietnam, to help augment the latter’s network.

                In a disclosure to the stock exchange, PLDT said the deal involves the supply of satellite bandwidth and services for the satellite-based portion of Vietnam’s fast growing cellular network.

                “This will support the company’s massive network growth as it aims to support national territory particularly in areas where terrestrial facilities are unavailable,” Mabuhay said.

                The deal was signed a few months back.

                Mabuhay marketing director Johnson Regalado said in a phone interview that this is the company’s first business deal with Vietnam. In the past, it has inked similar deals with other neighboring countries, including Indonesia.

                “We are optimistic on this. Viettel is one of the fastest growing cellular firms. We believe we can provide them with the needed satellite bandwidth,” he said.

                The amount of the deal could not be disclosed, said Mabuhay business manager Reddie Ona. “What I can tell is that the number of cellular sites covered by the initial sign off is around 75. But this could increase up to 250 sites.”

                President Gabriel Pimentel and business manager Reddie Ona signed the deal on behalf of Mabuhay. Viettel was represented by vice president Le Dang Dzung and vice director To Van Truong.

                Mabuhay is the first Philippine entity to own and operate a communications satellite.

                The company was set up primarily to establish, own, operate and  maintain an international satellite facility and other forms of telecommunications equipment capable of international and domestic communication links to telecommunications, broadcast and other public utility companies operating in the Philippines and other countries.

                It is also authorized to purchase, sell or lease international satellite facilities and capacity to telecommunications, broadcasting and other public utility corporations; and to manage, operate and maintain domestic and international satellite facilities of other companies.

                Mabuhay had successfully launched Agila2 satellite on August 20, 1997 and commenced commercial operations on January 1, 1998. Since then, the company has successfully positioned itself in the competitive international satellite communications arena by offering video, IP, and telecommunications solutions for clients in Asia and North America.

                Agila2, with its Asian and transpacific coverage, is complemented by the connectivity of  PLDT and by strong entrepreneurial relationships with major teleport and satellite operators and integrators in Asia and the US.

With these networks Mabuhay has been providing interconnectivity to major fiber and satellite-based communications networks in Asia and North America.

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Mabuhay Satellite Corp., a unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), said Tuesday it had sealed a deal with Viettel Corp., a telecom provider in Vietnam, to help augment the latter’s network.

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