(21 April 2009 8:20 pm)

MUMBAI: SES Astra has entered into a partnership deal with the Arabic satellite operator Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) to create a new company operating under the YahLive brand.

The newly formed company will offer direct-to-home (DTH) services to free-to-air and pay-TV broadcasters in more than two dozen countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and South West Asia region.

"Creating a company with Yahsat opens a very important and dynamic new market for us, where we can leverage our core DTH competencies and join forces with a strong player in the region," said SES Astra CEO Ferdinand Kayser. "This partnership will establish a major business hub for SES Astra in the Middle East and will add a new dimension to the existing strong regional presence of SES through the satellite operator SES NEW SKIES and the system integrator ND SatCom.”

“The region is a market with significant growth potential as the fill rate of the Ku-band capacity is estimated at 90 per cent, while the demand is expected to grow faster than the supply," he further added.

SES Astra will own and commercialise 23 BSS-transponders on the Yahsat 1A spacecraft to be positioned at the 52.5 degrees East orbital position and operating in the Ku-band frequency.

The satellite, procured from a consortium of EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space, is currently under construction and is scheduled to be launched by the fourth quarter of 2010.

"We are pleased to announce this strategic partnership with one of the world's leading satellite broadcasting operators. SES Astra's experience in this sector will fast track our ability to create a new TV hotspot over the MENA region," said Yahsat CEO Jassem Al Zaabi.

Yahsat, which is a private joint stock company based in Abu Dhabi, is owned by Mubadala, the investment arm of the government of Abu Dhabi.