The global economic recession will not affect the timely delivery of two communication satellites to the UAE under a contract signed with France nearly two years ago, the manufacturers said yesterday.
The two satellites, worth around Dh6 billion, will be launched from French Guiana on schedule in 2010 and 2011 and will be the first of their type to be owned by an Arab country, said Michele Lecoq, Country Corporate Director at Thales, one of the consortium members that won the contract.
"Of course not… the global crisis will not affect this contract… the two satellites are being manufactured and they will be launched on schedule in 2010 and 2011 aboard an Ariane rocket from French Guiana," she told Emirates Business during a technology seminar at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research.
"This contract is extremely important for us and for the UAE. It is not jusT the value of the contract but because it represents the beginning of real co-operation in the space and satellite domain between us and the UAE."
Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), which is wholly-owned by Mubadala Development Company, signed the $1.66 billion (Dh6bn) contract in 2007 with a French consortium comprising Thales, Alenia and EADS Astrium to develop a fully-integrated satellite system. The company signed another contract with Arianespace and International Launch Services to launch the two satellites.
According to Yahsat, the two satellites will provide communication services to the UAE as well as other parts of the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South West Asia.
The services will cover both civilian and military communications and the UAE armed forces has already booked part of those services under an agreement signed with Yahsat two years ago.
After signing the contract, Yahsat began constructing a ground control station for the two satellites in Al Falah about 50 kilometres from Abu Dhabi city and the project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2010. "These two satellites are very advanced… they will be the first of their type to be owned by an Arab country. They are different from the Arabsat systems as they are used for both commercial and military purposes," Lecoq said.
"As for their operational life, I do not know exactly how long they will last but depending on their orbit, they could range from five to 10 years. These satellites are very important for the UAE in both the commercial and military fields. They will allow the country to control its own communication systems."
According to Yahsat and the French consortium, the first satellite, Yahsat 1A, will be launched from French Guiana on the Northern coast of South America in the last quarter of 2010 at 52.5° East. Yahsat 1B will follow in mid of 2011.
Recently Yahsat announced its partnership deal with European satellite operator SES Astra to create a new company operating under the brand name YahLive, that will offer direct-to-home (DTH) television capacity and services.
Once in orbit, Yahsat 1A will provide innovative solutions for internet links via satellite, business data networks and television transmission services, in particular for high-definition television."We in France are quite happy to deal with the UAE given our already strong political and economic relationship…we will always welcome their ideas to expand co-operation in technology and other fields and help the UAE boost its economy," Lecoq said.
"I am sure this contract is the beginning of a strong and long relationship."
'FRANCE MAY SELL 60 RAFALE JETS TO UAE'
France is finalising the sale of 60 Rafale combat jets made by France's Dassault Aviation to the UAE in a deal worth €6 billion-€8bn (Dh29bn-Dh40bn), a newspaper reported yesterday.
France has so far failed to find a foreign buyer for the Rafale jet. Newspaper Le Parisien said President Nicolas Sarkozy would personally push the talks in a visit to the UAE tomorrow.
"An enormous contract, concerning the sale of 60 planes for a total amount of €6 to €8bn – over the space of several years – is being finalised with the UAE," the newspaper said.
Citing a source close to the negotiations, it said the talks were complex because the Rafale, which was developed years ago, will have to be upgraded to convince the buyers. The Rafale is France's most sophisticated combat aircraft, combining both fighter and bomber roles, but it has lost out to rivals offering cheaper, less high-tech models.
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