Al Yah 3
[Satnews] UAE-based satellite operator, Yahsat, has been awarded a license to operate its upcoming Ka-band satellite, Al Yah 3, by the National Telecommunications Agency, ANATEL, in Brazil. The award of the license follows Yahsat’s success in an auction held by ANATEL in May 2015, offering satellite operators the option to bid for rights to operate a satellite, as a Brazilian operator, over Brazil. Upon winning the auction, Yahsat elected to use the license for Al Yah 3, positioned at the 20 degrees W orbital slot.
Yahsat’s award of the operating license marks a significant milestone in materializing the company’s international expansion strategy. Al Yah 3 will cover over 95 per cent of Brazil’s population across more than 5,000 municipalities offering high-speed, affordable broadband satellite Internet services as well as economic, high data rate backhaul links for ISPs and telecommunications operators.
Commenting on Yahsat’s growing geographic reach, Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, Yahsat Chief Executive Officer said, “This is a moment of great pride for us, as Yahsat will be operating as a major provider for communications in Brazil. Our market entry has taken many years of planning from our headquarters in Abu Dhabi and we would like to thank the UAE government for their unwavering support of Yahsat’s international expansion.”
“Today, Yahsat is the seventh largest satellite operator, in terms of revenue, and we have witnessed continued success through the delivery of our innovative satellite broadband products and services, from our home here in the UAE to several regions across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. We look forward to providing our services in Brazil to address the shortage of reliable Internet connectivity.”
Brazil is a key market for Yahsat’s services, having one of the highest levels of Internet consumption per user in the world, and a rapidly increasing demand for broadband and Internet services. However, Brazil faces the distinct challenge of being a vast country with a large and growing population across underserved and unserved areas. Yahsat’s experience across different geographies enables it to provide reliable connection without depending on terrestrial infrastructure.
Yahsat has made extensive progress on the ground in anticipation of commercializing its services in Brazil. An office has been established in Rio de Janeiro, which is staffed by a growing team of industry experts from Brazil. In addition, the country will be supported by major infrastructure, services and contracts. Yahsat is now in possession of landing rights to operate as a local satellite provider in Brazil enabling them to provide up to 190 million of its population with the latest products and services.
Yahsat’s third satellite, Al Yah 3, is scheduled for service launch in early 2017, extending the company’s commercial ka-band coverage to an additional 19 countries and 600 million users across Brazil and Africa.
