Checking e-mails and social networks, and streaming live content at 36,000 feet are poised to become a reality at the end of this year for passengers connected to Taqnia Space aero services’ platform, following an agreement between Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL), one of the world’s leading satellite operators, and Taqnia Space (TSC), owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. The multi-million dollar, multi-year deal covers spotbeam capacity on the EUTELSAT 3B satellite in order to provide HTS connectivity services to Taqnia Space Airline clients over the Middle East, North Africa, Mediterranean and Europe regions.
Bandwidth on Eutelsat 3B will support live TV, on-board voice/GSM and broadband connectivity from the third quarter of 2017 on commercial aircrafts connected to the TSC aero platform. Saudi Arabian Airlines, one of the leading airlines in the Middle East, will be the first commercial airline connected to the platform, with more than 100 medium and long-haul aircrafts. Passengers will enjoy the Taqnia Space Connectivity package through their devices — laptops, tablets and smartphones — on domestic flights in Saudi Arabia and international flights over the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe.
Abdullah Al-Osaimi, CEO of Taqnia Space, said: “This cooperation with Eutelsat empowers Taqnia Space in the fast-changing landscape of in-flight services. It supports our strategy ... to satisfy demands driven by regional and international commercial airlines. Adding Eutelsat 3B satellite capacity to the TSC aero platform is a continuation of a growth plan initiated a few years ago with the 5C satellite over the Middle East that will be followed by two major satellite projects, SGS-1 (2018) and 6D (2019).”
“Having King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) as the prime technology and R&D partner in the TSC aero platform project provided invaluable support to the development of the first Saudi Aero Satellite Service Solution,” added Al-Osaimi.
Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of Eutelsat, said: “Satellite technology naturally comes into play in the in-flight connectivity market thanks to its ability to deliver best-in-class service across large territories. We are delighted that the efficiency that can be achieved with the Ka-band multi-beam configuration on Eutelsat 3B has won the confidence of Taqnia. This venture is an opportunity for long-term cooperation with a major player in Saudi Arabia’s innovation development ecosystem.”

Source : Arab News