Two landmark satellite antennas removed from Bukit Timah Satellite Earth Station
The towering antennas stood prominently at the southern end of the Bukit Timah Expressway for close to four decades.
Bukit Timah Satellite Earth Station is seen along the Bukit Timah Expressway on Apr 16, 2026, following the removal of two of its satellite antennas. (Photo: CNA/Ili Mansor)
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SINGAPORE: Two towering satellite antennas that stood at the southern end of the Bukit Timah Expressway for nearly four decades have been removed from the Bukit Timah Satellite Earth Station.
The process of removing the antennas began in the first quarter of this year, a Singtel spokesperson said on Thursday (Apr 16) in response to queries from CNA.
They were no longer in use at the time of their removal, and no services or customers were affected by this, the spokesperson said.
"The two satellite antennas, 32m and 21m in diameter, respectively, were originally built in the 1980s to support international traffic on legacy satellites," the spokesperson added.
"They have been removed to make way for future infrastructure that will serve the evolving connectivity needs of enterprises and customers."
Bukit Timah Satellite Earth Station, located on Rifle Range Road, was Singapore's second such station.
It began operating in July 1986 and was officially opened by then Minister for Communications and Information Yeo Ning Hong on May 9, 1987.
With its opening, Singapore had direct satellite links to 49 countries, according to a Straits Times report on the day of its official opening.
This was six more than when Singapore had only one satellite earth station – its original one in Sentosa, which opened in October 1971.
Singtel's predecessor, the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore, or simply Telecoms, said at the time of the station's construction that its site was chosen because of its distance from airports and low radio frequency interference.
According to the Straits Times report, the facility cost S$65.5 million at the time, including S$39 million for the one antenna it had then, as well as communications equipment. This antenna had a diameter of 32m.
It was announced at the time of Bukit Timah Satellite Earth Station's official opening that it would get a second antenna, with a diameter of 21m, by the end of 1988.
