Beijing has established China's largest communications satellite ground facility which covers the whole country and connects with more than 200 countries and regions in the world, said sources with a symposium marking the 35th anniversary of China's satellite communications on Friday.

The satellite communications station in Beijing is a major communications hub in China. It has been serving civil needs and safeguarding national security through a multi-level broadband platform, said experts attending the symposium.

The live broadcasting of the 2008 Olympic Games will be transferred by the station to all over the world, according to China Network Communication Co., the fixed telecommunications service partner for the games.

China's satellite communications industry started in 1972. The nation's first satellite communications institution for civil purposes was built in Beijing in Oct. 1972.

(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2007)