Khaberni - The Sultanate of Oman signed an agreement today, Sunday, with the French company Airbus for Defense and Space to "design, manufacture, and launch the first communications satellite" in the country.
The Omani News Agency reported that the Sultanate signed "an agreement to design and manufacture the first Omani communications satellite (Oman Sat-1) with Airbus Defence and Space."
It explained that this step comes "within the national efforts to enhance the communications system and digital sovereignty, and build national capacities in the fields of space and future technologies.
The agreement was signed by the Omani Minister of Transport and Communications, Said Al-Maawali, while Airbus’s Chief Executive of Space Systems, Alain Forier, signed for the company, according to the Omani News Agency.
Frequency Band
Airbus will design and manufacture "Oman Sat-1" with high capacity in the "KA" frequency band, and it will cover the Sultanate of Oman including its economic waters, in addition to the Middle East, East Africa, and Asia regions, according to the agency.
Al-Maawali stated in a speech following the signing that "the project aims to enhance Oman's digital sovereignty through owning a national space infrastructure capable of providing independent and secure communications and data services, which enhances the level of national information security and supports the continuity of vital services under various circumstances."
The project also contributes to "expanding coverage in rural areas, and improving the quality of communications and internet services," according to Al-Maawali.
For his part, Forier expressed his pleasure in signing a contract to provide Oman with "world-class and fully flexible" space communication capabilities through its first geostationary satellite, as reported by Omani media.
Recently, the Sultanate of Oman has been keen to enhance its space presence in several fields.
In November 2024, the Sultanate of Oman announced that the government company "Oman Lens" launched the first Omani satellite registered under the name of the Sultanate of Oman with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), specializing in remote sensing and Earth monitoring technologies, enhanced with artificial intelligence.
