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 ...

02/11/2026

Dakar 2026 First Olympics Event to Deploy Fully Virtualized MCR

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

France Tlvisions Deploys Grass Valley-Based ST 2110 IP Franceinfo Facility

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

NAB Opens Nominations for 2027 Technology Awards

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

Is Your Facility AI-Ready? Rethinking 24/7 Resiliency and Infrastructure

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

MOQ Standard Promises More Efficient Streaming, Less Latency

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

Who's Really Watching?

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

Blackmagic Design Launches UltraStudio Express HD

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/11/2026

Lightware Strengthens Small Meeting Room USB-C Connecti...

Lightware is highlighting two practical, value-focused solutions for organisations equipping smaller meeting and collaboration rooms: the Taurus SCX-2x1-HC60 st...

02/11/2026

WELT TV and SES Extend Multi-Year Satellite Distribution Agreement

SES and WELT TV have renewed their partnership in a new multi-year agreement for satellite distribution in Germany. Running into the next decade, the agreement ...

02/11/2026

BUSTED: New RT three-part documentary series goes inside Ireland's biggest drugs busts

Monday, 2 November at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player BUSTED is a new three-pa...

01/11/2026

Waldorf announce the Crema

Another compact instrument has just been added to the Waldorf line-up, and this time around the focus is on string ensembles, layered pads and evolving sound te...

01/11/2026

Park Street Post Software updates AAF Player and AAF Look

Park Street Post Software has updated its two macOS utilities for picture-to-sound AAF turnovers. AAF Player 1.2.0 lets sound teams audition a turnover and expo...

31/10/2026

Rapid Flow launch drumGRID

Combines powerful sequencer with classic drum machine samples Rapid Flow's latest release puts their sequencing expertise to work in a powerful new virt...

31/10/2026

Audioscenic: Binaural technology update

Reproducing spatial binaural audio over speakers In April 2025, we ran some news on Audioscenic, a UK-based company who specialise in delivering binaural au...

31/10/2026

Sonnet Announces Compact Three-Slot Thunderbolt 5 to PCIe Card Expansion System

Sonnet Announces Compact Three-Slot Thunderbolt 5 to PCIe Card Expansion System Brie Clayton October 31, 2026 0 Comments Echo SE III T5 Connects Three...

31/10/2026

ITU Updates Handbook on Precise Frequency, Time Systems

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

31/10/2026

House Members Push for Anna Gomez's FCC Renomination

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

31/10/2026

FOH Productions Deploys Riedel MediorNet Artist and Boler...

Riedel Communications today announced that live event production company FOH Productions has built a portable camera switching and control flypack that uses Rie...

30/10/2026

The Approval Click: What Live-Production Review Really Catches

A highlight clip goes to air after a person says yes. What would it take to say how often that yes had to be earned? Andreas EhstandA common design for automat...

30/10/2026

Ratings Roundup: Brewers' Clincher, Record NBA Tip-Off, Chiefs-Seahawks Hits Primetime Season-High

SNF's Chiefs-Seahawks leads the week with 26.3 million, Prime Video's Pa...

30/10/2026

GRUP MEDIAPRO To Rebrand as Imagina in 2027

The company aims to be more horizontal and not vertical' in managing sports rights and producing events GRUP MEDIAPRO has begun charting a new course that...

30/10/2026

USA Sports To Crown WNBA Champion in Historic Game 7, Capping Inaugural Season With Expanded Production

Player mics, an in-arena drone, enhanced replay operations, and a full onsite pr...

30/10/2026

What to Watch: 9 Sundance Institute-Supported Documentaries About Farming the Land and Fighting for a Sustainable Future

By Ramona Flume Each harvest season brings a sense of renewal and possibility. ...

30/10/2026

Wicker Spins Social Norms and Marriage Tropes Into a Charming, Comedic Fable

(L-R) Peter Dinklage, Alexander Skarsg rd, and Olivia Colman attend the Q&A for Wicker by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, an official selection of the...

30/10/2026

BangZilla release Wave Theory

Creates melodies from wavetables BangZilla is the new plug-in division of The Audio Programmer, and their debut offering comes in the form of Wave Theory, a...

30/10/2026

AES Show 2026: Nashville

30 October - 1 November 2026 This years AES Show is just around the corner, with this year's event marking the annual convention's first appearance ...

30/10/2026

Neve unveil the Elements range & 8424E console

Company launch new digitally controlled analogue hardware Neve have just entered the world of digitally controlled analogue in style with not one, but four ...

30/10/2026

RTL News Rebuilds Audio Control Room With 5.1 Surround, IP Stream Support

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/10/2026

FCC to Auction 25 MHz of Midband Spectrum, Update Drone Rules

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/10/2026

Sony Debuts RIALTO 65 Camera Extension System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/10/2026

NAB Urges FCC Flexibility on Software-Based EAS

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/10/2026

GB Labs Wins Futures Best of Show Award for CoreONE Prese...

GB Labs Wins Future's Best of Show Award for Core.ONE, Presented by TVBEurope at IBC 2026 GB Labs, a leader in scalable, shared storage solutions, has rec...

30/10/2026

Lightware brings simple physical MTR BYOD switching to Mi...

Lightware is introducing GPIO Button control for its Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows (MTRoW) integration, giving users a simple, one-touch way to switch betwee...

30/10/2026

Lightware Now Offers AVIXA Renewal Units for Dusseldorf...

Lightware has added AVIXA Renewal Units (RUs) to its D sseldorf in-person training program, allowing AV professionals to earn recognized professional developmen...

30/10/2026

FCC to Auction 25 MHz of Midband Spectrum, Changes Drone Rules

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/10/2026

New AVIXA Online Training Course Tackles End-to-End Video Workflow

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/10/2026

AES Dials In on Dialogue Intelligibility

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/10/2026

Foundry makes virtual production more accessible with Nuk...

Creative software developer Foundry today announced Nuke Stage now supports macOS, making the end-to-end virtual production and in-camera visual effects (ICVFX)...

30/10/2026

SES and Air Astana Introduce Multi-orbit Inflight Connectivity on A321LR Fleet

Luxembourg, 30 October 2026 - SES was selected by Air Astana, the award-winning flag carrier of Kazakhstan, to introduce next-generation inflight connectivity s...

30/10/2026

RT SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2026: WINNERS ANNOUNCED

RT SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2026: WINNERS ANNOUNCED FIRST PLACE AND 5,000 - JAMIE SAMSON FOR BUBBLE' SECOND PLACE AND 4,000 - STEPHANIE O'CONNOR FO...

30/10/2026

Things That Go Beep in the Night: Agentic AI Joins the Search for Extraterrestrial Signals

While science fiction lore tells us that humans will meet extraterrestrial life ...

29/10/2026

Playmaker HQ Builds Out Player-Driven NFL Slate, Moves Bomani Jones Into New NYC Studio

Jameis Winston and Willie Colon are among current and former players hosting pro...

29/10/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Hope Durkee, University of Arkansas

After arriving in Fayetteville with dreams of calling games, the Arkansas native found her passion in the control room, building a promising future in replay an...

29/10/2026

NHL's Andre Carrington on Expanding Local Broadcast Operations, Evolving Cloud Workflows, and What's Next

The National Hockey League is taking on a larger role in local game production w...

29/10/2026

Media Links Appoints Mikhail Zavalin Market Development Technical Specialist, EMEA

Media Links has appointed Mikhail Zavalin Market Development Technical Specialis...

29/10/2026

Gravity Media Provides Broadcast and Media Infrastructure for 2026 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings

Gravity Media delivered the live broadcast and media infrastructure for the 2026...

29/10/2026

Rise AV Names 23 Women to 2026 Elevate Leadership Program

Rise AV has announced the 23 women selected for the second year of its Elevate program, a six-week management and leadership development course. The cohort incl...

29/10/2026

FIA Names AWS Official AI and Cloud Computing Partner

The F d ration Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced a global partnership under which AWS becomes the Official A...

29/10/2026

Bob Daniel Joins ASG as Storage and Workflow Solutions Architect

Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has appointed Bob Daniel Storage and Workflow Solutions Architect within its Enterprise Storage team. Daniel has more than 30 years...