Counter-Notification by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology Ltd. – Liechtenstein
VADUZ – Volksblatt.li newly publishes a counterstatement from Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology Ltd.:
On July 27, 2022, Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), which is backed by the Chinese investors in the satellite project, published a supplement in the “Volksblatt” that contained massive allegations against Rainer Schnepfleitner, head of the Communications Office. Volksblatt.li then confronted the head of department with the allegations and offered him the opportunity to comment.
counter-notification
With reference to the corresponding online article of July 27, the SSST requests the following reply:
Regarding the passage: “In addition, the SSST doubts that its competitor will be able to implement the planned satellite network – interestingly, the Office for Communication had doubts about the SSST in this regard, which is why there was even a legal dispute in 2021. The Administrative Court ultimately decided in favor of the office.”
This statement of facts is incorrect in that it WILL imply that the 2021 litigation was between the Office of Communications and the SSST. Is it the case that this legal dispute was conducted by the Liechtenstein Trion Space AG, which is still the assignee of the frequencies, against the Office expressly for communication. In addition, the Complaints Commission for Administrative Matters has already instructed the Office for Communication to submit the “BIU report” requested by Trion, which means that Trion has achieved its goal in this legal dispute. It was therefore irrelevant how the Administrative Court ultimately decided on the matter. The SSST itself did not conduct any proceedings against the Office for Communication in 2021. only after the hostile takeover by Rivada Networks did the SSST initiate several proceedings against the Office for Communications. These have not yet been decided.
Also incorrect is the statement: “[Amtsleiter Rainer Schnepfleitner] also pointed out that the SSST has so far not been successful in any of its legal actions against the office.”
This statement of facts is wrong. In fact, it is the case that not a single SSST procedure against the Office for Communication has been decided; to what extent the legal steps taken by the SSST against the office will be successful, WILL first be decided by the (administrative) courts. Contrary to what Schnepfleitner claims, the Chinese researchers have not taken a single unsuccessful legal step against the Office for Communications.
Editor’s note
Volksblatt.li sticks to its statement of facts. It is true that the SSST was not directly involved in the proceedings, but Trion Space AG. Accordingly, Volksblatt.li did not explicitly name the SSST as a “party” in the proceedings. However, at the time, the SSST was part of the corporate construct behind the satellite project. Among other things, it was this construction and the investors that caused the office doubts and caused further conditions to be imposed. The regulatory authority wanted to ensure that the project could actually be implemented. This can also be found in the corresponding decree. When Volksblatt.li writes that the Administrative Court (VGH) decided “in the sense of the office”, it refers to these additional requirements. According to the VGH, these were permissible.