NewSat Jabiru-1 Pre-Launch Contracts Reach $279 Million Mark

[Satellite TODAY Insider 09-20-11] Australian satellite operator NewSat signed a $40.2 million, three-year contract with Quicklink Communications to lease transmission NewSat capacity on the Jabiru-1 satellite, the companies confirmed Sept. 12.

   Quicklink, a Middle Eastern telecommunications provider delivering enterprise services to governments and corporations across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, said it would use the Jabiru-1 Ka-band satellite capacity to serve a range of high-demand regions within the Middle East and Africa, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria and Egypt.
   The new contract brings the total of binding pre-launch contracts for Jabiru-1 satellite to $279 million. “Demand for satellite communications across the Middle East and Africa continues to grow exponentially. Quicklink Communications provides premium telecommunication services across these high demand regions and will use Jabiru-1’s high powered Ka-band capacity to unlock Internet, voice and data services that are unavailable today,” NewSat Founder and CEO Adrian Ballintine said in a statement.

   The contract follows Newtec’s recently signed deals with 3A Technology and TrustComm, worth $134 million and $105 million, respectively. Ballintine said the contracts would underpin the operator’s export credit agency backed debt financing to build and launch the satellite. “NewSat’s vision of becoming a global satellite operator is on the verge of being realized,” he said.

   Quicklink Communications CEO Nadir Shah said his company’s commitment to NewSat Ka-band capacity would enable it to continue growth and support emerging demand from neighboring regions. “We are excited to be a cornerstone customer of Jabiru-1 and our government and enterprise customers will benefit greatly from Jabiru-1’s high intensity coverage. The network expansions from mobile operators, enterprise networks for governments and corporations and the demand for Internet, are the growth markets throughout the Middle East and Africa and with the help of Jabiru-1, Quicklink Communications is set to capture them,” Shah said.