The first Arabian satellite company to be totally privately owned will use capacity from two Eutelsat satellites.
Middle East satellite operator Noorsat has begun operations, agreeing to use capacity from two Eutelsat satellites to provide bandwidth for broadcasters, operators and ISPs. Created by Saudi Arabian and Gulf investors, and the first Arabian satellite communications company to be totally privately owned, Noorsat provides transponder capacity from ArabSat and Nilesat, co-located at 26 degrees East, and 7 degrees West. "Building the platform around the hot spot locations covering the Arab world and neighbouring countries means that public and private TV broadcasters have immediate access to all satellite TV dishes in the region without the need for viewers to re-align dishes or add any equipment," says Noorsat CEO Shoter. Shoter believes satellite bandwidth will grow exponentially over the next 2-5 years, fuelled by television broadcasters, but also by increased demand from ISPs, telecoms operators and data companies. However, he admits that non-video growth will only make up around 20% of the capacity. Uplink facilities have been established in Bahrain and Greece to ensure service integration and quality, with further facilities in Arab countries on the cards should the demand arise. Noorsat will also begin transmissions of digital TV to Arab expatriates across Europe. Agreements with carriers are also in place to expand the service to the Americas and beyond. Noorsat is headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, while its management and marketing head offices are based in Amman, Jordan.