{
  "id": 7588337,
  "title": "UAE company pioneers affordable satellite phone coverage",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/uae-company-pioneers-affordable-satellite-phone-coverage",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-15T16:30:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/2026/09/15/uae-company-pioneers-affordable-satellite-phone-coverage/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At the World Space Business Week in Paris, Karim Sabbagh, a space technology company Space42's managing director, proposed a project to give the UAE a central role in reshaping global communications. The platform, Equatys, aims to deploy thousands of satellites to provide connectivity for people around the globe through their mobile phones, a technology known as direct-to-device. Sabbagh, an Abu Dhabi-based Lebanese-Canadian executive, stated that the opportunity is immense, potentially moving the industry from fewer than 10 million users to reaching billions. Unlike SpaceX's Starlink, Equatys seeks shared infrastructure to operate at comparable costs to traditional phone providers. Competitors include Amazon's Globalstar, which was acquired for $10.8 billion, and Elveo Mobile, a merger of Lynk Global and Omnispace. Space42 will partner with US company Viasat to launch Equatys, committing $1 billion to the project. The plan is to launch 2,800 satellites on 60 orbital planes and three altitude layers, with the service expected to start in 2029. Sabbagh compared Equatys to undersea cables and communication towers, emphasizing the novelty and challenge of the project. The UAE's space program benefits from Equatys, providing resilience against geopolitical shocks and supporting critical infrastructure during times of crisis, such as the Iran-US conflict.",
  "summary": "Paris has been buzzing with high-profile visits to World Space Business Week, where hundreds of executives are lining up to launch services. For Karim Sabbagh, managing director of space technology company Space42, it was an opportunity to pitch a project intended to give the UAE a central role in reshaping communications on Earth using infrastructure in space. The platform, Equatys, aims to…",
  "key_points": [
    "UAE company Space42 launches Equatys project for global satellite phone coverage",
    "Equatys aims to deploy 2,800 satellites in three altitude layers by 2029",
    "Service seeks to provide affordable connectivity to billions at traditional phone costs"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "UAE company pioneers affordable satellite phone coverage",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/uae-company-pioneers-affordable-satellite-phone-coverage-7592811",
        "published": "2026-09-15T16:30:31.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}