CHECKING emails and social networks, streaming live content at 36,000 feet are poised to become reality at the end of this year for passengers connected to Taqnia Space Aero services’ platform following an agreement between Eutelsat Communications, one of the world’s leading satellite operators, and Taqnia Space (TSC), owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia.
The multimillion dollar, multiyear deal covers spotbeam capacity on the EUTELSAT 3B satellite in order to provide HTS connectivity services to Taqnia Space Airline clients over the Middle East, North Africa, Mediterranean and Europe regions.
Bandwidth on EUTELSAT 3B will support live TV, on-board voice / GSM and broadband connectivity from third quarter 2017 on commercial aircraft connected to the TSC Aero platform.
Saudi Arabian Airlines, one of the leading airlines in the Middle East, will be the first commercial airline connected to the platform, with more than 100 medium and long-haul aircraft. Passengers will enjoy the Taqnia Space Connectivity package through their devices - laptops, tablets, smartphones — on domestic flights in Saudi Arabia and international flights over the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe.
Abdullah Al-Osaimi, CEO of Taqnia Space, commented: “Thiscooperation with Eutelsat empowers Taqnia Space in the fast-changing landscape of in-flight services. It supports our strategy to expand our TSC Aero platform to global coverage and capacity in order to satisfy demand driven by regional and international commercial airlines. Adding EUTELSAT 3B satellite capacity to the TSC Aero platform is a continuation of a growth plan initiated a few years back with the 5C satellite over the Middle East that will be followed by two major satellite projects, SGS-1 (2018) and 6D (2019).”
“Having the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) as the prime technology and R&D partner in the TSC Aero platform project provided invaluable support to the development of the first Saudi Aero Satellite Service Solution,” added Al-Osaimi.
Taqnia Space will use four High Throughput Ka-band spotbeams on the EUTELSAT 3B satellite that have been steered by Eutelsat to cover flight paths extending from London to Saudi Arabia and from Casablanca to Oman.
Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of Eutelsat, concluded: “Satellite technology naturally comes into play in the in-flight connectivity market thanks to its ability to deliver a best-in-class service across large territories. We are delighted that the efficiency that can be achieved with the Ka-band multibeam configuration on EUTELSAT 3B has won the confidence of Taqnia. This venture is an opportunity for long-term cooperation with a major player in Saudi Arabia’s innovation development ecosystem.”
TSC objectives include technology transfer, commercializing technology, supporting sustainable growth of the GDP, diversifying the economy, and creating high quality jobs. TSC vision is to be a leader in the Middle East as satellites manufacturer, operator and service provider targeting different market segments, Satellite Communications and offering voice, data, and video services Also, the Company provides high value remote sensing data and images.
Established in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world’s leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 39 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and Internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies.
Eutelsat’s satellites provide ubiquitous coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, enabling video, data, broadband and government communications to be established irrespective of a user’s location. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat represents a workforce of 1,000 men and women from 37 countries who are experts in their fields and work with clients to deliver the highest quality of service.— SG
