Yahsat awarded UAE’s third telecoms licence

01 March 2010

Mubadala-owned company wins 10-year licence from regulator

The UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has awarded Al-Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) a 10-year contract to establish satellite telecommunications services in the emirates.

Under the terms of the deal Yahsat, owned by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund the Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala), will offer voice, data, video and internet connectivity solutions for the UAE. Being licenced in the UAE will also allow the company to expand into the rest of the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South-West Asia.

“TRA’s strategy is aimed at supporting governmental entities and corporations alike in delivering their services and products by facilitating the registration process,” says Mohammed al-Ghanim, director-general of the TRA.

The licence is only the third to be awarded in the UAE, the other two being state-controlled telecommunications companies Emirates Telecommunications Company (Etisalat) and Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (Du).

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