
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 27 August, 2020 : 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.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
09/02/2026
A look inside the tech, tools, and team that make the Super Bowl into true eye c...
09/02/2026
Software-defined IP backbone and centralized signal-control hub redefine champio...
09/02/2026
Broadcasters continue to raise the bar when it comes to producing an eye-catchin...
09/02/2026
Game coverage will feature nearly 100 cameras, a deep well of replay channels, a...
09/02/2026
Sony's imaging tech is the literal lens through which the spectacle and exc...
09/02/2026
The technologies, including AI, allow fans at home to see the athletes, feel' the speed, and sense the skill
With four years from one Winter Games to the ...
09/02/2026
Sportradar AG announces a multi-year agreement with NBC Sports Regional Sports N...
09/02/2026
New York Festivals Advertising Awards proudly unveils a dynamic new Sports Category Group, expanding its 2026 competition to recognize the powerful role sports ...
09/02/2026
Devlin Design Group, Filmwerks, LTN pitched in on the four-day effort
The site ...
09/02/2026
Despite the game taking place right in the middle of NBC Sports' busiest month ever, its production and operations teams pulled off a massive Super Bowl LX ...
09/02/2026
SBS Media Sustainability Challenge returns for 2026
9 February, 2026
Media releases
The challenge offers brands and agencies $500,000 in advertising invent...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture and custodian of the SAFTAs, is calling on all South Afri...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the call for training provider submissions is open. This funding aims to award grants ...
09/02/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and Sk...
09/02/2026
The L3Harris Key Management System is the first solution on the open market - and available to NATO customers today - that allows countries to create their own ...
09/02/2026
Book a meeting or demonstration at ISE 2026! Please enter the following details. (Tick the relevant box for a meeting or demo):
--
Meeting / Demo*
Meeting...
09/02/2026
Harvey Norman tops Australia's biggest ad spenders as finance and travel surge
Sydney February 9, 2026 - Nielsen's Biggest Ad Spenders of 2025 Report...
09/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/02/2026
Berklee Presents Great American Songbook: What About Us-A P!NK Celebration Featuring a global cast of over 100 Berklee students, the two-night production will...
09/02/2026
Back to All News
A Home for World-Class Filipino Entertainment: The Journey and...
09/02/2026
RT Investigates rapid rise in waiting list for the Central Mental Hospital
am...
08/02/2026
A look inside the tech, tools, and the team that make the Super Bowl into true e...
08/02/2026
Studio programming is deploying multiple sets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Cla...
08/02/2026
The annual in-venue show is a partnership between the NFL and the host venue
NF...
08/02/2026
A software-defined IP backbone and centralized signal control hub redefine champ...
08/02/2026
Networks continue to raise the bar when it comes to producing an eye-catching pr...
08/02/2026
NEP's TFC Fabric empowers NBC to treat a 22-unit production as one seamless ...
08/02/2026
Game coverage will feature nearly 100 cameras, a deep well of replay channels, a...
08/02/2026
The Alum Behind the Sound of the Super Bowl Joshua Sutherland BM '19 was recently interviewed by the Boston Globe about his role as music supervisor for t...
08/02/2026
08 Feb 2026
VEON and JazzWorld Launch Invest in Pakistan, NOW! Inviting Inter...
07/02/2026
X Games will host a live event taking place Thursday, March 12 at Cosm Los Angeles, marking the first-ever draft in X Games history and the official launch poin...
07/02/2026
Onsite experts and shop inside the stadium are providing quick solutions
Before any live event production, there is a high probability that unpredictable issue...
07/02/2026
Three Sony HDC-F5500s will capture this look on the broadcaster's concourse ...
07/02/2026
Inclusion in control-room revamp proves pivotal to supporting this tentpole even...
07/02/2026
The digital giant also produced episodes of The Edge With Micah Parsons' be...
07/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/02/2026
Appear, which specializes in live production technology, announces the appointme...
06/02/2026
Baller League US announces CBS Sports and its 24/7 soccer streaming channel CBS Sports Golazo Network will air the league's programming in the United States...
06/02/2026
Gravity Media, which concentrates in production, content, media services, and fa...
06/02/2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), together with the Video Services Forum (VSF), the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA), and the European Broad...
06/02/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, announces that 1001, an OTT service in Iraq, has chosen the Bitmovin Player to improve its video streaming pe...