• The new agreement enables Thuraya and GTNT to introduce next-generation mobility solutions and tap into new opportunities in the Russian market.
• Key focal areas include maritime, oil and gas and IoT sectors requiring flexible and reliable satcom solutions that are operational regardless of user location and weather conditions.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 11 November 2021: Thuraya Telecommunications Company, the mobile satellite services subsidiary of the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider, Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC (“Yahsat” or, together with its subsidiaries, “the Group”) listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (“ADX”) under (SYMBOL: YAHSAT) (ISIN: AEA007501017), today announced that it has renewed its commercial agreement with the Russian service partner, GTNT, to expand business within the country. GTNT is a multiservice communications operator, and the exclusive distributor of the best-selling Thuraya mobile satellite phones, broadband terminals and M2M solutions in Russia.

The partnership agreement was renewed during a visit by GTNT’s senior leadership team to Thuraya’s offices in the UAE, early this month. The renewed partnership is central to GTNT’s strategic plans, with new offerings that are substantially enhanced by the ongoing programme to upgrade Thuraya’s space, ground and product assets. GTNT will introduce Thuraya’s next generation mobility solutions to support key verticals in Russia, including Maritime, Oil and Gas and Internet of Things (IoT).

Highlighting the importance of the agreement, Thuraya’s Chief Executive Officer, Sulaiman Al Ali said, “Russia is a priority market for Thuraya. We are happy with what we have achieved with GTNT’s support in the past decade, and want to supplement this partnership with the latest, advanced technologies. This is a win-win situation shaped by geography, economic potential and the depth of Thuraya’s services. As one of the world’s largest oil and natural gas producers with a diversified economy, Russia requires reliable mobile satellite connectivity for its regional and global operations; under Yahsat, we offer seamless, ubiquitous coverage, enabling customers across the Russian Federation to connect instantly and reliably, regardless of their location.”

GTNT’s Chief Executive Officer, Mikhail Kharitonov said, “We have always enjoyed a close relationship with Thuraya and Yahsat, and are proud of our shared success since GTNT’s inception in 2012. Thuraya’s solutions now serve key customers from the federal, corporate, maritime, energy, NGO and environmental sectors in Russia. We are now gearing up to widen the scope of our business by introducing new satcom technologies to meet customer requirements across land, sea and air.”

According to an NSR study in 2019, Thuraya was the second largest MSS operator globally in terms of active mobile satellite handheld subscribers. In the last two years, Thuraya’s M2M solutions have been successfully implemented for critical IoT applications, with additional deployment happening on the ground. The Thuraya 4-NGS programme is set to diversify the company’s business to cover growing user segments, including maritime logistics, UAVs, automated vehicles, heavy machinery for mining, agriculture and livestock farming, and fixed and mobile industrial asset tracking.