The satellite industry is almost like a village, says Yahsat’s chief executive Masood Mahmood.
“A small industry [but] with big coverage, so cooperation is essential. It is a limited real estate that you are fighting for so if you don’t cooperate it will not be beneficial to anyone,” he says.
“Today we have a joint venture with SES, the third-largest operator in the world, on our TV service. Dubai TV and Abu Dhabi TV and other bouquet channels are beamed on our satellite.
“It is one of the few industries I have seen that really is a sort of win-win mentality because it is so small you can’t afford to get in an overly competitive situation.”
This is a key point as the company expands into new markets after its satellite Al Yah 3 is launched next year.
Once the new satellite is operational, Yahsat will offer satellite broadband services for the first time to Brazilian consumers and to a greater number of those in Africa, as well as enterprise markets, internet service providers and telecoms operators in both regions.
Yahsat must work with regulators and operators in each market as part of this growth strategy.
“From a universal access point of view usually the discussions are very positive with these regulators and governments,” says Mr Mahmood.
“In Brazil we were discussing with one of the government agencies who were extremely excited about what we were trying to do in terms of covering 95 per cent of the population. They were almost selling the idea from their side on how business friendly and proactive the regulator over there is in terms of making sure that people who come and help in meeting the universal access obligations that they have the right facilitation on the ground.”
Ultimately, the connectivity that satellite can provide helps a country to develop and entry is “much easier compared to other telecoms services”.
“It is a different conversation only because satellite is complimentary” for telecoms operators, says Mr Mahmood. “They have the core in the major populated areas … once they start going outside that the technology becomes extremely expensive and uneconomical to support the lower density areas of population.”
“This is where satellite is perfectly suited to come in and fill that gap.”
malrawi@thenational.ae
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The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
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Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
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Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
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Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
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