The international operator, which provides reliable roaming services with 389 agreements worldwide, including AT&T and T-Mobile, is already well-established in the US, but the new office, between Washington DC and Tysons Corner, Virginia, brings the American team together, helping to serve a range of customers that includes the Department of Defense.
“We have pledged to extend our geographical reach, move into new market sectors and launch new services and devices,” said Samer Halawi, chief executive officer of UAE-headquartered Thuraya.
“Opening our US office is an important part of that process, strengthening our presence in America. We want to be as close as possible for partners, customers and investors. Thuraya will become the provider of choice for unified connectivity, and it will do so through an extensive program of expansion and diversification.”
The new address represents a further step in the development of Thuraya’s ongoing FUTURA project and next-generation constellation plans. Its L-band network is set to evolve with the planned launch of satellites from 2020.
Working in partnership with ViaSat, Thuraya launched M2M services in the US last year with the introduction of the Thuraya FT2225. It offers efficient bandwidth usage and low-latency IP networking. The terminal works on both the Thuraya network and ViaSat mobile satellite services network, leveraging ViaSat’s L-band high capacity system.
The news comes after Thuraya signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indosat Ooredoo to transform communications in Indonesia, adding satellite connectivity to the mobile operator’s business portfolio.
