The Yahsat and Hughes teams at the signing ceremony. Photo: BroadcastPro Middle East

Yahsat and Hughes are entering into a joint venture to provide commercial Ka-band satellite broadband services across Africa, the Middle East, and southwest Asia. This new venture combines Hughes global expertise in broadband satellite networks and services with Yahsat’s unique position as a provider of satellite broadband solutions across these regions. Hughes will purchase a minority interest in the venture.

The agreement to form the joint venture was announced in September 2018, during the World Satellite Business Week Conference held in Paris, and was subject to regulatory and other approvals that have now been obtained. The newly formed company is bringing services to market as “YahClick, powered by Hughes,” and is now operational.

The new venture will continue to provide unserved and underserved communities with reliable, high-speed Internet services operating over Yahsat’s Al Yah 2 (AY2) and Al Yah 3 (AY3) Ka-band satellites, and leveraging the capabilities of the Hughes Jupiter System, designed for large scale High Throughput Satellites (HTS). Hughes will also supply its Operating and Business Support System (OSS/BSS) solutions for network operations and management. Initially, the venture will focus on “direct-to-premise services” to homes and small- to medium-sized enterprises, and to community centers and schools that are served under local government programs across these regions.