Page 47 - SAMENA Trends - June-August 2021

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Mubadala-Backed Yahsat Expects New Satellite

Launch in H2 2023

Yahsat, the newly listed satellite company partly owned by Abu solutions, he said. The Next Generation System satellite is being
Dhabi state investor Mubadala, plans to launch a new satellite built by Airbus and will replace one of the satellites operated by
in two years, aimed at introducing advanced data services to its Yahsat's satellite phone unit Thuraya, he said. Currently Yahsat
clients by 2024, its Chief Executive said. "The launch is the second has five satellites, while its fixed and mobile services cover over
half of 2023 and by the second half of 2024 services will kick in. This 150 countries. Al Hashmi said Yahsat, which was established in
will bring the next generation technologies to the table," CEO Ali Al 2007, initially derived its revenue from the government. Currently
Hashemi told Reuters. Shares of Al Yah Satellite Communications around 30% is from the private sector and that segment is growing
Co (Yahsat) began trading after a $730 million initial public at a very strong pace. "Our target is to achieve very high growth on
offering, opening at 3 dirhams ($0.8168) per share, 9% above its the commercial side of the business and also to grow the revenue
IPO price of 2.75 dirhams. It is the first major IPO on the Abu Dhabi from the government," he said. Yahsat posted revenue of $408
bourse since Abu Dhabi National Oil Co Distribution was listed in million in 2020 and the growth over the last few years has been
2017. Al Hashemi said the launch will enable it to have a spectrum largely fueled by the private sector, he said. Al Hashmi said the
of unique features and the highest speeds available in the market. IPO met good demand. "We attracted investors from all over the
These services will cover maritime, internet of things and data globe," he said without disclosing names of investors.

Zain Bahrain Continues to Expand 4G and 5G

Networks

Zain Bahrain has promised continued investment to expand its the need for mobile high-speed, high-bandwidth connections that
4G and 5G network footprint in the country, with a strong focus on 5G delivers. We have made substantial investments to enhance
enhancements to further improve reliability and indoor coverage. both our 4G and 5G network infrastructures that will provide faster
In a press release, the operator said it will expand its 5G footprint to speeds and connectivity to all our customers, thereby delivering
more areas of the country, including the new urban developments even greater value and quality. With the network expansions and
of Salman Town, Khalifa City, East Hidd and Ramli Housing Areas, advancements underway, we at Zain Bahrain will offer seamless
using Ericsson’s RAN solution to provide enhanced coverage and broadband, entertainment and mobile services to our customers
advanced network capabilities such as 5G carrier aggregation. at higher speeds.’ Ali Al-Yaham, Director of Technology at Zain
The company has also made significant investments to modernize Bahrain said: ‘Our network improvements will dramatically
and expand its 4G layer to expand coverage and support higher enhance the day-to-day experiences of our customers that will
speeds and capacity, by utilizing new LTE bands and modernizing have far-reaching impact featuring faster connectivity speeds,
its current equipment to further improve network availability and higher capacity, ultra-low latency and greater bandwidth. Initially,
support higher throughputs. On the investment and network our 5G networks will operate in conjunction with existing 4G
expansion, CEO Duncan Howard said: ‘We continue our 5G networks before evolving to fully standalone networks. Our tie-
network expansions in the kingdom at an ever increasing pace up with Ericsson to provide its RAN solution will further enable
despite COVID-related disruptions. The pandemic has highlighted continuous and faster connectivity.’

47 JUN-AUG 2021