ABU DHABI — Commercial and government entities in the UAE can look forward to en

[khurramdar]

ABU DHABI â€" Commercial and government entities in the UAE can look forward to enjoying the services of a third internet provi


ABU DHABI â€" Commercial and government entities in the UAE can look forward to enjoying the services of a third internet provider from next year with the Telecom Regulatory Authority, or TRA, granting the licence for this to Yahsat, the country’s satellite communication company.
While the two existing players in the field Etisalat and du will be providing internet services through terrestrial lines, the new entrant will be reaching the services to the customers through satellite to be launched by the UAE early next year.

Apart from stimulating 
competition, the entry of the new player in the internet service 
delivery area is expected provide
 the country with a critical communication back-up in the eventuality of any damage to the terrestrial lines, Mohammed Nasser Al Ghanim, the Director-General of the TRA told a Press conference on Sunday.

Ghanim and Waleed Al Muhairi, Chairman of Yahsat signed the agreement on the new services. Under the deal Yahsat gets a 10-year licence for the installation, operation, and management of a public telecommunications network and provision of satellite telecommunications network in the UAE.
Under the licence Yahsat will offer a wide portfolio of voice, data, video and internet connectivity solutions for applications like HDTV and other broadband satellite services for both commercial and government in the UAE and outside.

The satellite to be launched by the UAE will be able to reach these facilities to 81 countries spread across the Middle East, Africa, South-West Asia, said Al Muhairi, who is also the COO of Mubadala which is the parent company of the Yahsat or Al Yah Satellite Communications Company.

Replying to questions the Yahsat officials said the company intended to provide the internet services at $40 a month in underserved countries, with the concurrence of the local telecom regulatory authorities.
The first satellite of Yahsat to be known as Yahsat 1 A is scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of 2011 and the services will be available from the second half of the year. Yahstat 1 B, the second satellite will be launched in the second half of 2011, and its work is progressing on track.

The Yahsat officials asserted that the launch of the first satellite was delayed to the first quarter of 2011 from the last quarter of 2010 because of the earthquake at Le Aquila in Italy where the space centre of the satellite producing company was located.