• Cobham SATCOM to be appointed as the main distributor, on a non-exclusive basis, for Thuraya Next Generation Broadband Products (NGBP) for a minimum term of five years
• Cobham SATCOM is the market-leading provider of satellite communications solutions to the maritime and land markets

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 22 November 2021 – Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC (“Yahsat”) listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (“ADX”) under (SYMBOL: YAHSAT) (ISIN: AEA007501017), the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider, today announced that its Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) subsidiary, Thuraya Telecommunications Company PJSC (“Thuraya”) has entered into a long-term agreement with Cobham SATCOM (“Cobham”), for the distribution of next-generation broadband products for land, aeronautical and maritime users. This agreement further builds on Yahsat’s existing partnership with Cobham and marks an important milestone in the roll out of the Thuraya 4-NGS enabled portfolio.  

As part of the agreement, Cobham will be appointed as the main distributor, on a non-exclusive basis, for Thuraya Next Generation Broadband Products (NGBP) for a minimum term of five years, starting from the commencement of commercial operations on Thuraya 4-NGS, following its expected launch in the second half of 2023.

Through this partnership, Cobham will drive NGBP sales through its own extensive distribution channels but will also work closely with Thuraya’s broad service partner network. The agreement is expected to generate more than US$80 million of potential service revenue to Thuraya. Both partners and customers will significantly benefit from the combined distribution network as well as from Cobham’s technical knowledge and after-sales capabilities and expertise.

Ali Al Hashemi, Group Chief Executive Officer at Yahsat, said: “We are very pleased to have signed this agreement with our partner, Cobham who is deeply committed to the success of the Thuraya 4-NGS program. This partnership enables us to leverage the unique capabilities and expertise of Cobham thereby augmenting the shared value we can deliver together to distribution partners and to end customers. We are confident that our customers in different market segments, whether maritime, government or enterprise, will see this partnership as a key differentiator in fulfilling their MSS connectivity needs”. 

Leif Ottosson, Chief Executive Officer at Cobham, said: “We are equally pleased and excited to enter into this agreement as it demonstrates the mutual benefit of the partnership we have built with Yahsat and Thuraya. Not only are we trusted to provide Thuraya with the innovative technology that thousands of customers are relying on every day, but we are also trusted to ensure the commercial success of the partnership through our extensive distribution network of service partners, distributors, and retailers. We are very proud of being appointed, as it is a manifestation of the technology leadership and commercial strength we have in the market.”

Thuraya recently announced a partnership with Cobham to drive significant enhancements to its future broadband portfolio. Under this partnership, Cobham will deliver a comprehensive mobile broadband system as part of the next-generation Thuraya 4-NGS satellite system, and multiple broadband terminals for land, sea and aeronautical applications to strengthen Thuraya’s portfolio, capabilities and performance across a wide coverage area.