PR85228

ABU DHABI, UAE and TOULOUSE, France, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

- Airbus selected to build 'Thuraya 4-NGS,' the next generation L-band mobile

telecommunication system

- Future system will expand coverage, boost speeds, and transform products and

solutions  

- Investment will reinforce Yahsat's and Thuraya's leadership in the industry

for commercial and government solutions across the EMEA and APAC regions

Airbus has been selected by Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat),

the UAE's leading global satellite operator, to build Thuraya 4-NGS, the next

generation mobile telecommunications system that will drive the continued

advancement of Thuraya's L-band business. Thuraya 4-NGS will deliver higher

capabilities and flexibility while increasing capacity and coverage across

Europe, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East, enabling next generation

mobility solutions for all customer segments, including defense, government and

enterprise.

This is a major milestone in Yahsat's commitment towards transforming Thuraya

and rolling out its next-generation system, which entails a complete overhaul

of its space and ground platforms, enabling a new set of services, products and

solutions, across a greater coverage area. The new capabilities will drive

leadership across many strategic product lines, such as maritime, IoT, and data

solutions offering a wide spectrum of throughput capabilities and the highest

speeds available in the market, while reinforcing Thuraya's strengths in the

MSS voice market.

Thuraya's next generation system will provide a world of opportunities to

customers, service partners, hardware manufacturers and integrators, enhancing

user experience across land, sea and air to support multiple customer segments,

including government, consumer and enterprise.

Furthermore, an advanced portfolio of solutions to support government and

defense users will accelerate Thuraya's leadership in this market, both within

the UAE, regionally and globally. Meanwhile, all existing products and services

will continue to be supported by Thuraya's space and ground segments, enabling

service continuity during and after the transformation

programme.                

This latest commitment from Yahsat takes its total committed investment to date

to well over US$500 million, and more is anticipated in the coming years,

including an  option with Airbus to build Thuraya 5-NGS (an additional

satellite identical to Thuraya 4-NGS), strengthening its coverage and

capabilities across the Asia Pacific region.

Khaled Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Yahsat's Board of Directors and CEO of

Mubadala's Aerospace, Renewables & ICT stated, "The half a billion US dollar

commitment,  underscores our position as a market leader, pioneer and

disruptor. We are creating a multipurpose and flexible satellite ecosystem that

is attuned for growth and future diversification and Thuraya 4-NGS is a key

milestone in our ongoing mission to provide advanced yet affordable satellite

solutions with levels of performance, reliability and security at the leading

edge of today's technology."  

Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Thuraya and General Manager of Yahsat Government

Solutions (YGS) continued, "Thuraya 4-NGS represents a significant evolution of

our L-band capabilities, enabling a wider range of interoperable FSS/MSS

solutions for Thuraya and YGS customers.  This will be critical in delivering

superior defense solutions, such as battlefield communications, to our

government users, while offering a complete MSS portfolio to all of our current

and future customers and partners to drive the next phase of innovation and

growth."  

Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Airbus Space Systems said, "Building on a relationship

with Yahsat that dates back more than 10 years, our selection is testament to

the innovation and engineering excellence of Airbus' geostationary satellites.  

Thuraya 4-NGS, as well as being electric, will also benefit from our latest

processed payload technology giving increased flexibility and adaptability over

the course of its life in orbit. Yahsat's new project reinforces Airbus Defence

and Space's position as the world's number one in electric propulsion

satellites."

Based on the state-of-the-art all-electric Airbus Eurostar Neo Platform,

Thuraya 4-NGS will incorporate a large 12-metre L-band antenna and a payload

with on-board processing providing advanced routing flexibility of up to 3200

channels with dynamic power allocation over a large number of spot beams.  It

is scheduled for operation in 2024.

Photo -

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225048/Thuraya_Telecommunications_Company.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225075/Thuraya_Logo.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225047/Yahsat_Logo.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225046/Airbus_Logo.jpg

Source: Thuraya Telecommunications Company