etisalat has announced a strategic agreement with Arabsat to secure a full new DTH (Direct-to-Home) bouquet on the BADR-8 satellite, uplinked from the etisalat TAS Earth Station, a high-capacity satellite communication ground hub located in Sharjah.
Strategically positioned at 26.0° East, BADR-8 will enable the bouquet to reach a broad and diverse audience, with a primary focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The agreement represents a major milestone in strengthening etisalat’s space business proposition and expanding its satellite services capabilities across the region.
Nabil Baccouche, Group Chief Carrier & Wholesale Officer, etisalat, said: “Partnering with Arabsat on the BADR-8 bouquet is a strategic step in our ambition to grow etisalat’s space business and deliver advanced satellite solutions to our customers. By combining our earth station infrastructure and operational capabilities with Arabsat’s regional coverage, we are creating a powerful platform for service providers and satellite partners to serve their requirements seamlessly across MENA and enhance our resilience capabilities over the sky. This initiative reinforces our commitment to providing reliable, scalable, and high-quality services that support the evolving needs of the industry.”
Marwan Bin Shakar, Chief Technology Officer, etisalat UAE, said: “Reliable content distribution depends on the strength of the infrastructure behind it. By uplinking the BADR-8 bouquet from our TAS Earth Station, we are bringing our operational capabilities together with Arabsat’s regional satellite coverage to provide broadcasters and service providers with a robust, scalable route to audiences across MENA. Satellite connectivity is an important part of building resilient networks and supporting the region’s evolving needs.”
Mr. Saud M. Almadhi, Chief Commercial Officer, Arabsat, said: “This partnership will enable us to serve multiple customers through a shared platform, optimise infrastructure utilisation, and generate recurring revenues, supporting sustainable growth while delivering greater value to our customers. Looking ahead, the partnership lays the foundation for future service innovation, including advanced contribution, distribution, and hybrid satellite-terrestrial solutions tailored to the evolving needs of media and broadcast customers.”
Under the agreement, etisalat will enable space customers to distribute their content efficiently and reliably across MENA through Arabsat’s well-established satellite footprint. As part of the collaboration, etisalat will offer end-to-end uplink solutions, including content reception, signal aggregation, encoding and multiplexing where required, satellite uplink, monitoring, and fully managed transmission services, positioning the company as an integrated satellite connectivity provider.
By combining earth station infrastructure and operational capabilities with Arabsat’s regional satellite coverage, the partnership will support a reliable and scalable content distribution across MENA.
