Italy’s top daily newspaper “La Repubblica” has run an article about Vietnam’s plan to launch first telecom satellite (VINASAT-1), saying this is a noticeable event for the world telecom industry in 2008.

With 20 wave-transceiver stations serving television, telecom and Internet, VINASAT-1 will cover the whole territory of Vietnam, meeting the country’s fast economic development, the Italian paper wrote.

It added that the launch of the satellite, slated for April 12, will not only make Vietnam become the sixth nation in the region having its own satellite, but also help the country in natural disaster preparedness.