The Big Interview - Thuraya Telecommunications - Part 1

Thuraya Telecommunications Company is a world-leading mobile satellite service provider of voice, data, maritime, rural telephony, fleet management and a range of telecommunication solutions in remote areas.
Providing mobile satellite communications to over 140 countries around the world, Thuraya offers a congestion-free network that now covers most of the planet, encompassing Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East and Europe.
RFV spoke to John Huddle, Head of Media & Broadcast, on the company’s past, present and future
RFV: In terms of mobile satellite service providers, Thuraya Telecommunications would now be seen as one of the market leaders. With the market share increasing year on year, where did it all begin and what have been the major milestones along the way?
2013 is a very important year for Thuraya. While the global MSS industry is forecasting a flat to 2% growth over the last year, we are projecting to have moderate to double digit growth. In 2012 our data subscribers grew by almost 60% year-on-year. Data traffic grew by close to 30% year-on-year and we are forecasting double digit growth, moving forward.
This is attributed to strong growth in Asia, as demonstrated by our recent announcement with Japan’s SoftBank Mobile and further driven by growth in the government sector. We also see strong opportunities across our other key markets including Media, Energy and Maritime which will fuel demand for our data services.
To give you some background, Thuraya was established in 1997. We are a global mobile satellite service provider of voice, text and data service to two-thirds of the world’s geographical area, across more than 140 countries. Thuraya holds 65% of the EMEA market share MSS and we have approximately 200,000 subscribers for our services around the globe. Our superior network enables clear communications and uninterrupted coverage across two-thirds of the world by satellite, and globally through the unique GSM roaming capabilities of its satellite phones. With more than 350 roaming partners worldwide, Thuraya is the only mobile satellite operator that offers GSM roaming services over mobile networks.
RFV: Does having such a large organisation make it difficult to maintain the attention to detail associated with a smaller company?
Thuraya is generally perceived as a large company – this is a one of our hidden attributes. Thuraya prides itself in being a smaller company that is run by strong leaders with a sharp, entrepreneurial spirit. We rely on our global network of Service Partners who are responsible for supporting our end-users around the world. Our size provides us with the flexibility to move with the market and adapt to its ever-evolving landscape and user or sector demands much faster than our larger competitors.
RFV: The Thuraya IP boasts being “a generation ahead in design & performance”, “compact” and “durable”. On this evidence, the company must put a heavy emphasis on research and development. Has this helped to increase your market share? How important is it to constantly channel funds into research and development?
Thuraya prides itself on its product development and innovation. From the development of our latest satellite phone, the Thuraya XT, to our Thuraya IP, we have always tried to be at the forefront in terms of creating products and solutions that our customers need. This has allowed us to invest in our research and development. We’re excited about our roadmap for 2013, where we will be launching our next generation Thuraya IP+ terminal, providing faster connectivity to broadcasters in a smaller, lighter and more portable device.
RFV: For broadcasters across the world reporting from remote outposts, the fast data connectivity and the fact it supports 384kbps streaming IP must make Thuraya top of the list.
There are four things that news broadcasters are looking for when they deploy a mobile satellite solution; reliability is by far the most important thing. When a broadcaster takes equipment out into the field, particularly when it is used for live transmissions, they need to know it is going to work first time, every time. Technical innovations have allowed us to make our equipment far more portable than it used to be; another crucial feature when reporting from a remote area. We also need to make the whole solution as easy to use as possible, as often journalists are having to troubleshoot problems themselves without much in-depth technical knowledge. Finally, we need to provide broadcasters with a cost effective solution. When you combine the Thuraya IP, with its unique features and benefits, such as asymmetric streaming, we provide a very attractive value proposition for broadcasters.
Read the interview via the online edition of Regional Film and Video, issue 198, here.