In-flight broadband has the potential to unlock a $5.2 billion market within the Middle East region by 2035, finds new data released from the 'Sky High Economics: Quantifying the commercial opportunities of passenger connectivity for the global airline industry' report.
Project Loon, a network of balloons traveling on the edge of space, designed to extend Internet connectivity to people in rural and remote areas, developed by Alphabet subsidiary 'X' (formerly Google X), has been working with satellite company SES to restore 4G/LTE connectivity to disaster-stricken Puerto Rico.
Participating in CABSAT 2018 satellite expo in Dubai, satellite operator Yahlive and Direct-to-Home (DTH) operator Entertainment and Reality TV Hub (EARTH) announced the addition of 35 TV channels, catering to the South Asian viewers in the GCC, in a bid to curb piracy and support efforts to eliminate illegal viewing platforms in the region.
French satellite company Eutelsat Communications has acquired NOORSAT, one of the leading satellite service providers in the Middle East, from Bahrain's Orbit Holding Group.
Intelsat S.A. announced the appointment of satellite industry executive Samer Halawi to Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). Assuming the role effective January 9, 2018, Mr. Halawi will lead an organization spanning the Company's global commercial operations, including the broadband, mobility, media, and government businesses, as well as the sales and marketing teams.
Satellite operator Intelsat and Etisalat have announced plans to expand the distribution of Intelsat EpicNG services in the Middle East. Under a multiyear expansion, Etisalat will upgrade its network to deliver higher performance to customers in the region using the Intelsat 33e high-throughput satellite. Concurrently, Intelsat will leverage Etisalat's teleport in Dubai as an expansion node of the IntelsatOne Flex service.
Telecom Review continued its dedication and commitment to the ICT industry and exceeded all expectations by holding the best and largest high-level executive ICT gathering. The award for 'Best Satellite Provider' went to UAE satellite telecommunications company Thuraya.
Thuraya Telecommunications recently attended USPACOM Pacific Endeavor 2017, hosted by the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) in the United States, where it presented an intensive training workshop on critical satellite communication technologies for first responders and military experts from 22 participating Asia-Pacific countries. The annual invite-only event ran from August 14 to 25 in San Jose, CA and focused on communications interoperability exercises that facilitate emergency cooperation and relief response between nations and humanitarian NGOs during times of disaster.
UAE based satellite operator Yahsat announced the successful trial of a 50Mbps in-flight connection that will change the way passengers experience air travel. The result of a unique partnership between Yahsat, du, Etihad Airways Engineering, Hughes Network Systems and Carlisle Interconnect, the high-speed broadband offering will be available for airlines to offer its passengers within the next year.
Thaicom Public Company Limited, one of Asia's leading satellite operators and provider of integrated satellite communications services, announced an agreement with iSAT Africa Ltd FZC. (iSAT), a leading African telecommunications provider and a subsidiary of Wananchi Group Holdings, to provide iSAT's key customer in East Africa with fully managed satellite telecommunications services including satellite backup of its fiber network.
