The United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) satellite telecom firm, Thuraya Satellite telecommunications Company is set to launch its third satellite, Thuraya-3 into the space to provide mobile satellite services.
The launch is scheduled for October 15 from the equator in the Pacific Ocean which is also the nearest landmass to the Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean and will help the nation in expand its capacity and coverage area.
The satellite has been built by Boeing Satellite Systems and weighs five ton. The estimated cost of its production is between 150 million to 200 million U.S. dollars.
The firm will sign service provider (SP) agreements with another Australian telecom company this month to provide ground services to mobile phone subscribers via the new satellite.
By the end of the year the company anticipates to sign more SP agreements with companies in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The firm, Thuraya was established in 1997 and has launched two satellites prior to this. Its first launch, Thuraya-1 was in 2000 from the Pacific Ocean and the second one, Thuraya-2 was in 2003.
The telecom company, Thuraya is based in Abu Dhabi and has a share of some 26 percent in the global mobile satellite market. It provides mobile satellite services to some 230,000 subscribers in 110 nations and regions across the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Source: English
