Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Thuraya's X5-Touch, the world's smartest satellite phone, lands Top Mobility User Experience Solution' award at MSUA 2019

13/05/2019

The Mobile Satellite Innovation award by Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA) recognizes the device's unparalleled functionality and flexibility

The Thuraya X5-Touch launched in November 2018 as the world's first Android based satellite and GSM phone

The 2019 MSUA award is the third award for Thuraya from the association

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 13th May 2019: Thuraya Telecommunications Company, a subsidiary of Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), has won the Top Mobility User Experience Solution at this year's Mobile Satellite Innovation award organized by Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA). The accolade was won by the Thuraya's X5-Touch device - the world's smartest and most innovative satellite phone. The announcement was made during the company's participation at the Satellite 2019 Conference in Washington DC, US.

Thuraya CSO Jassem Nasser accepts MSUA Award for Thuraya X5-Touch

The Top Mobility User Experience Solution award recognizes the X5-Touch's superior usability, as well as its market-leading status, which is underpinned by a series of category-firsts. The X5-Touch is the first satellite phone to run on the Android operating system - a fundamental pillar of its award-winning flexibility and user experience.

The operating system provides users with a multitude of apps on purchase, while developers gain the freedom to develop and customize bespoke apps to meet the unique needs of device users. This complements the bring your own application' (BYOA) concept, where customers can download any app of their choice.

An unrivalled 5.2-inch HD touchscreen protected by a rugged Gorilla glass display, front and rear camera, and high-capacity battery bring everyday smartphone functionality to the remote environments of satellite communication. Meanwhile, the X5-Touch's omni-directional satellite antenna ensures uninterrupted communications in more than 160 countries, including a number across Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. In addition, full dual-mode and dual-SIM capabilities provide the flexibility to effortlessly switch between satellite and terrestrial networks.

A host of crucial safety features such as advanced navigation and tracking functions, alongside a built-in SOS button, reinforce the X5-Touch's credentials as a device built for the most remote and testing environments.

Congratulations to all at Thuraya for securing today's award, which is testament to the inventive mindset we encourage at every level of our organization, commented Ali Al Hashemi, Thuraya CEO. Our customers rely on dependable communications to do their job and, in many cases, remain safely connected in remote environments. With this award, the X5-Touch continues to reinforce its credentials for the most demanding of users.

MSUA Award for Top Mobility User Experience Solution

The MSUA accolade isn't the first to be awarded by the association to Thuraya. In 2017 the company's XT-PRO DUAL device won the Top Land Mobility Satcom Innovation Award for a second year, after landing the same title in 2014. Also in 2014, Thuraya's SatSleeve product - which converts a smartphone into a satellite phone - received MSUA's Innovator Award.

Through the design and functionality of the X5-Touch, we set out to create a device that felt as natural and effortless to use as our personal smartphones, but with added ruggedness, commented Shawkat Ahmed, Thuraya's Chief Commercial Officer. Usability is in many ways more important in remote and testing environments than it is elsewhere, and as this award demonstrates, the X5-Touch provides fast, simple and trusted connectivity wherever users venture.

The Thuraya X5-Touch launched in November 2018 with a high-profile promotional campaign that included digital display advertising in Times Square, New York City. Just four months earlier, Thuraya and Yahsat announced an agreement that saw Yahsat acquire a majority and controlling stake in Thuraya. The agreement enabled Thuraya to significantly expand Yahsat's satellite solutions portfolio on both commercial and government fronts, while creating a strong platform to capture the growing opportunity around IoT and M2M applications across both sectors.

About Thuraya Telecommunications Company

Thuraya Telecommunications Company is an industry leading MSS operator and a global telecommunication provider offering innovative communications solutions to a variety of sectors including energy, broadcast media, maritime, military and humanitarian NGO. Thuraya's superior network enables clear communications and uninterrupted coverage across two thirds of the globe by satellite and across the whole planet through its unique GSM roaming capabilities. The company's diverse range of technologically superior and highly reliable mobile satellite handsets and broadband devices provide ease of use, value, quality and efficiency. Thuraya remains committed to serving humanity through delivering the essential tools for optimal connectivity, never leaving anyone out of reach. Visit www.thuraya.com

About Yahsat

Yahsat is a leading global satellite operator, providing multipurpose satellite solutions for broadband, broadcast and government communications use across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Central and South West Asia. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company, the investment vehicle of the Government of Abu Dhabi. Yahsat is the first company in the Middle East and Africa to offer Ka-band services including YahClick, Yahsat Government Solutions, YahLink and Yahlive via its Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2 satellites.

With the launch of Al Yah 3 satellite, Yahsat's commercial Ka-band coverage extended to 20 additional markets, reaching 60% of Africa's population and over 95% of Brazil's popula
LINK: https://www.thuraya.com/content/thuraya's-x5-touch-world's-sma...
See more stories from thuraya

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/11/2026

Sonys Shotgun Mic Deployed in Drifter' Shoot

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/11/2026

Fox Closes Roku Acquisition

Share {alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...

09/11/2026

Indianapolis TV Stations Return to DirecTV After Lengthy Absence

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/11/2026

Vizrt Completes Proof-of-Concept Integration With Story Object Model

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/11/2026

Broadcast Dominated Midterms Coverage

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/11/2026

Berklee's Singers Showcase Celebrates Whitney Houston's Music and Her Gospel Roots

Berklee's Singers Showcase Celebrates Whitney Houston's Music and Her Go...

09/11/2026

NVIDIA Announces New Planned Investments in Korean Startups at the MSIT-NVIDIA AI Startup Partnership Forum

Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT and NVIDIA hosted the MSIT-NVIDIA AI Sta...

09/11/2026

Practice Makes Precise: At CoRL, NVIDIA and Partners Reveal How Robots Rehearse Delicate Work in Simulation

Simulation, which has long been the proving ground for robots learning to walk, ...

08/11/2026

Acon Digital release Restoration Suite 3

Updated modules & new Analyze function Acon Digital's all-in-one restoration plug-in has just been updated, and now boasts an Analyze button that allows...

08/11/2026

AnalogX launch Genesis

Run analogue gear emulations on your GPU AnalogX have released a new GPU-powered mixing ecosystem that's been designed to change how users handle analog...

08/11/2026

COW Jobs: Set and Production Design Expert - Remote

COW Jobs: Set and Production Design Expert - Remote Brie Clayton November 8, 2026 0 Comments Set and Production Design Expert (Remote, worldwide) No...

08/11/2026

NVIDIA Dynamo Recipes Bring Korea's Leading Open Models to Production

NVIDIA is releasing Dynamo-optimized deployment recipes for Korea's leading open models: A.X K2 from SK Telecom, K-EXAONE 2.0 from LG AI Research, Solar Ope...

08/11/2026

From Chips to Skills, NVIDIA and Korea Expand Sovereign AI Collaboration

NVIDIA and Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) are expanding their collaboration across the country's sovereign AI ecosystem, from AI semiconduct...

08/11/2026

Korea's AI Ecosystem Advances and Secures Agentic AI With NVIDIA

As AI agents take on more work, they need capable open models and security that advances alongside them. Hyundai Motor Group is exploring NVIDIA NemoClaw bluep...

08/11/2026

Korea Advances Physical AI Across Industries With NVIDIA

Tapping into the country's strengths in manufacturing and engineering, NVIDIA is helping advance Korea's physical AI ecosystem. The country's indu...

07/11/2026

Tracktion Waveform Free 14.1 now available

Mix Analysis, improved Render window & new bundled instrument The free version of Tracktion's DAW software has recently received an update that introduc...

07/11/2026

NFVF CALL FOR MARKET READINESS PROGRAMME FOR SOUTH AFRICAN GAMING STUDIOS

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is a statutory body established to promote and develop the South African film and video industry, including animat...

07/11/2026

Nielsen: 31.2 Million Viewers Watch 2026 U.S. Midterm Election Coverage

NEW YORK - November 5, 2026 - An estimated 31.2 million people watched primetime coverage of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3, according t...

07/11/2026

RCI Custom Selects Neutrik as Primary Source for Connectors

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/11/2026

Audio Engineer Rachel Saldivar Deploys Sony Shotgun Mic for Drifter' Shoot

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/11/2026

COW Jobs: Production Manager - Las Cruces, NM

COW Jobs: Production Manager - Las Cruces, NM Brie Clayton November 6, 2026 0 Comments Production Manager November 5, 2026COW Jobs: Faith-Based UGC ...

06/11/2026

Gravity Medias JockeyCam at Center of Melbourne Cup Carnival Busy Week of Horse Racing

It's been a big week in Australia horse racing as the Victoria Racing Club (...

06/11/2026

PBR Expands Production of Teams Championship With Third Mobile Unit, More Cameras

Additional gear includes a second, outside drone; a second slo-mo unit; and a wi...

06/11/2026

University of Alabama Installs Daktronics Displays at Coleman Coliseum

The University of Alabama has installed a new Daktronics display system at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. It includes a 360-degree centerhung with four underbe...

06/11/2026

NEP Adds IP-Based Flypack Production Kits in the U.S.

NEP Americas, part of NEP Group, has expanded its remote production offering with new IP-based flypack production kits deployed from the U.S. and available to c...

06/11/2026

Telestream Appoints Joseph Hopkins Chief Revenue Officer

Telestream has appointed Joseph Hopkins Chief Revenue Officer. He has more than two decades of executive experience in media technology. In the role, he will fo...

06/11/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 38: Texas Rangers Chris DeRuyscher - Livin the Life at Globe Life Field

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

06/11/2026

Soaring in Stamford: Major League Soccer's Seth Bacon Details the Growth of MLS Productions

It's been nearly two years since MLS Productions made the move to WWE's ...

06/11/2026

With Decision Day on Deck, MLS Productions' Stamford Hub Prepares for 15 Matches in Five Hours

All 30 clubs take the field Saturday, and every camera, graphic, and feed runs t...

06/11/2026

GForce launch Oberheim Matrix-12

Latest official Oberheim collaboration arrives Following on from the launch of their new and improved website, GForce Software have released their latest of...

06/11/2026

Avid introduce Pro Tools 2026.11

Pro Tools Extensions, MPE support & more Avid have just released Pro Tools 2026.11, which introduces built-in stem separation, a new Extensions format that ...

06/11/2026

Heritage Audio's i73 Pro gains NAM A2 support

Interface range can now run captures on internal DSP Heritage Audio have just launched a firmware update that makes it possible for their i73 Pro audio inte...

06/11/2026

SMALL TOWN. BIG DREAMS. ABSOLUTE MAYHEM. The crown is up for grabs in bold new SBS Original, Miss Sultanah

SMALL TOWN. BIG DREAMS. ABSOLUTE MAYHEM. The crown is up for grabs in bold new S...

06/11/2026

FCC Releases More Details on Nationwide EAS Test

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/11/2026

Pro Tools Adds New AI-Powered Extension for Separating Audio Into Individual Elements

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/11/2026

Sage Issues Mandatory Security Update for ENDECS

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/11/2026

CNN Reports Record Setting Viewership Numbers for Midterms Coverage

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/11/2026

Democratic Senator Sends Warning to FCC Chairman Carr

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/11/2026

Maxon Expands Creative Possibilities with New Touch and S...

Maxon Expands Creative Possibilities with New Touch and Spatial Experiences in Cinema 4D and ZBrush for Apple Products New capabilities let artists interact wi...

06/11/2026

Big Daddy Kane to Be Inducted Into Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame

Big Daddy Kane to Be Inducted Into Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame The Grammy-winning emcee joins an iconic roster of inductees in an event that features s...

06/11/2026

NBC News Wins Midterm Elections Ratings Race

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/11/2026

LG Ad Solutions Names Abhijit Pol SVP, Product and Engineering

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/11/2026

Gravity Media's OB Rethink Delivers for Gravel Cycling Championship

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/11/2026

VITEC to Retire Datapath Brand

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/11/2026

NEP Americas Adds IP-Based Flypack Kits to Production Lineup

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/11/2026

Black Friday Deals from Flanders Scientific, Inc - An Atomos Company

Black Friday Deals from Flanders Scientific, Inc - An Atomos Company Brie Clayton November 5, 2026 0 Comments Purchase any FSI monitor between now and...

06/11/2026

COW Jobs: Faith-Based UGC Video Creator - Remote

COW Jobs: Faith-Based UGC Video Creator - Remote Brie Clayton November 5, 2026 0 Comments Faith-Based UGC Video Creator (Remote, Part-Time) November...

06/11/2026

Thats Christmas Sorted: Sky brings entertainment icons to life in all dancing festive campaign

Friday 6 November 2026 That's Christmas Sorted: Sky brings entertainment ic...

06/11/2026

Fox Corporation Completes Acquisition of Roku

Fox Corporation Completes Acquisition of Roku FOX Is Now One of the Leading Streaming Businesses in the U.S., Inclusive of Roku, Tubi and FOX One Roku's...