Es’hailSat changing the landscape of SATELLITE INDUSTRY

Hamad Al Mannai, vice-president – commercial, discusses the importance of satellite in terrestrial services.

Communications Africa: Satellite is becoming more important as a support for terrestrial services. What sort of cellular backhauling services do you offer?

Hamad Al Mannai: Es’hailSat’s cellular services are delivered over our Es’hail-1 and Es’hail-2 satellites co-located at 25.5°/26° East, and supported on the ground via our state-ofthe-art 50,000 sq m Teleport located in Doha.

Via our cellular backhaul services we can support 3G/4G/5G networks in extending their reach beyond the coverage of fiber and terrestrial services.

Communications Africa: And how can satellite be effective where terrestrial cellular cannot reach?

Hamad Al Mannai: Traditionally satellites have extended the core network for cellular operators to remote and rural areas where terrestrial networks find it difficult to reach or maintain quality of service. Additionally, as the industry evolves, newer business models are emerging where geostationary satellite operators are including non-geostationary satellite systems and direct-to-cell technologies to support cellular networks in extending their reach.

Communications Africa: What is your view of 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN)? Are they relevant to your business model?

Hamad Al Mannai: 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks will complement our existing satellite infrastructure and provide a more efficient way to deliver high-speed data and voice services to remote locations. In addition to supporting IoT and M2M applications, they can also provide reliable means of communication in disaster affected areas. Yes, they will be relevant to our business model going forward as the applications mentioned above are part of our growing portfolio of services.

Communications Africa: What maritime industries do you serve apart from oil and gas?

Hamad Al Mannai: Apart from Oil and Gas, we also cater to providing communications infrastructure to ships at sea. We have developed specific partnerships over the past few years in order to cater to this growing segment. This includes incorporating the use of flat panel antennas and supporting vessels of all sizes that require data and voice connectivity.

Communications Africa: Is your broadcast market still strong despite streaming?

Hamad Al Mannai: Yes, our broadcast market is still strong as is evident from the growing neighborhood at our 25.5°/26° East hotspot. Our long-standing customers continue to focus on satellite broadcasting even if their services are also available on streaming platforms. Furthermore, we have added multiple channels from across the Middle East and North Africa region to our satellites during the past year which suggests that there is still demand for broadcast television in this region. ❮❮