UAE’s Yahsat reinforces presence in China

Abu Dhabi-based satellite solutions provider Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), has announced plans to strengthen its presence in China, as part of its growth strategy to diversify and expand across international markets including the Chinese and Asia Pacific regions.

Yahsat CCO Sulaiman Al Ali travelled to Beijing to meet with Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, the UAE Ambassador to China, who is leading the diplomatic mission’s efforts to enable UAE businesses to expand across the growing Chinese market.

The team showcased its next-generation mobility solutions, underlining its long-term objective to meet the evolving needs of Chinese customers across several sectors.

The company’s MarineStar solution is expected to attract high demand from across China’s maritime industry, revolutionising connectivity and communications for maritime operators.

In addition, Thuraya, which is part of the company’s portfolio, sells broadband terminals for land-based communications in the country.

Yahsat: Building close ties with partners

A recent visit by Chinese Embassy officials to the company’s headquarters, in Abu Dhabi, was the most recent example of the growing relations between Yahsat and China.

The Chinese diplomats commended Yahsat’s role in locating and saving Chinese fishermen lost at sea, thanks to its satellite-enabled connectivity solutions.

The incident took place on May 20, when Yahsat’s Customer Care team received an emergency call for assistance from the embassy of China in the UAE. The call was made on behalf of China’s MRCC after they were alerted that a few Chinese fishermen and their boat were missing. The MRCC reached out to the embassy to connect with Yahsat and Thuraya as the boat was equipped with a Thuraya MarineStar terminal, hence locating the boat was possible.

Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE Ambassador to China, said: “The partnership between Yahsat and China holds immense potential for mutual growth and cooperation. The UAE Embassy is committed to providing full support to UAE businesses’ including Yahsat to expand in China, strengthening the ties between our two nations and fostering economic cooperation.”

Ali Al Hashemi, group CEO of Yahsat, said: “We are proud of Yahsat’s expansion as part of our diversification strategy geographically as well as venturing into new sectors. Our strategic partnership with China is expected to provide a big boost to our position in the global market.

“The successful visit by Chinese Embassy officials and the endorsement from the UAE Ambassador to China have given us the impetus to continue driving growth and development, not only in China but also across the Asia Pacific region.”

The Asia Pacific region is amongst the main international markets for the company due to its popular solutions including Thuraya’s MarineStar.

In recent news, the company reported a 2 per cent decrease in half-year revenues to $205m (Dhs753m) from $206m a year ago.

The group delivered revenue growth in infrastructure, which provides communications capacity to the UAE government and data solutions, offering satellite-based broadband data solutions.

Yahsat said its managed solutions, providing complete value-added satellite communications solutions primarily to the government and related entities, maintained revenues versus an exceptionally strong prior year.