Yahsat

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) is a UAE-based satellite telecommunications operator founded in 2007 and headquartered in Abu Dhabi, providing fixed and mobile satellite broadband, government communications, and connectivity services across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Europe — operating as a flagship space program of the United Arab Emirates and a strategic infrastructure asset of the Abu Dhabi sovereign investment ecosystem.

Yahsat operates the Al Yah 1, Al Yah 2, and Al Yah 3 geostationary satellites. Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2 provide Ka-band and Ku-band capacity for government communications and commercial broadband across the MENA region and Central Asia. Al Yah 3, launched in January 2018, is a high-throughput Ka-band satellite specifically providing broadband connectivity to approximately 19 African countries — part of Abu Dhabi's strategic positioning as a connectivity infrastructure provider for African markets where terrestrial broadband infrastructure remains limited. The company also operates Yahsat-1A for secure government and military communications for UAE and allied defense customers.

Yahsat merged with Thuraya Telecommunications — the UAE's mobile satellite services provider operating L-band mobile satellite phones and maritime/aviation broadband services across 160+ countries — creating a combined company offering both GEO fixed broadband and L-band mobile satellite services from a single operator. The merged Yahsat entity is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) with a market capitalization of approximately $3 billion.

Yahsat is majority-owned by Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi's strategic investment conglomerate managing over $280 billion in assets, reflecting the UAE's national commitment to building indigenous satellite telecommunications infrastructure as part of its broader space ambitions alongside the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre.