Qatar Satellite Company, aka Es’hailsat, and Egyptian Satellites Company, better known as Nilesat, have announced that they have signed a cooperation agreement and a strategic partnership.
In the announcement, made last week, Es’hailsat and Nilesat said they aim to provide joint services via satellite to their customer base, allowing customers of both companies to benefit from their joint satellite fleet and ground infrastructure.
It's probably no surprise that, as the CEO of Es’hailSat Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari explained, this agreement is in response to the rapid economic growth of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the surge in demand from commercial and governmental clients driven by global sporting events.
The Via Satellite news service suggests that applications such as video broadcasting, enterprise connectivity, telecommunications and other digital services will be involved in the deal, with training and pricing also included. It is also likely that the two companies will be collaborating with each other as preferred partners. However, precise plans or a timescale do not appear to have been revealed yet.
As a number of news organisations point out, Es’hailsat provides satellite, broadcast, transport, and managed services from Doha; its infrastructure includes two satellites positioned at 25.5/26 degrees east and a ground station.
Egypt’s Nilesat provides satellite services in the Middle East and Africa. It has two ground stations, one in the 6th of October City and one in Alexandria, and operates many geosynchronous communications satellites, all centred at 7 degrees west.