Orbita-Plus Becomes Thuraya’s Service Provider in Kazakhstan
11th November 2000
Thuraya Signs Commercial Agreement in CIS Region
Abu Dhabi: Thuraya has established a strategic presence for its mobile satellite system in the CIS region, through a commercial alliance with Orbita-Plus which has become its Service Provider in Kazakhstan.
With the signing of this agreement, Thuraya’s list of Service Provider agreements totals 32 countries, with many more to be finalised by the end of the year.
The agreement was signed by Thuraya’s Chairman Mr Mohammad Omran and Mr Nurlan Sargaskaev, General Manager of Orbita-Plus in a ceremony held in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The agreement, provides Orbita-Plus with the rights to distribute and market Thuraya’s mobile satellite services and products throughout Kazakhstan, including sales of user terminals, issuing of SIM cards, subscriber connections and all other customer service aspects.
Speaking on the occasion, Thuraya’s Chairman Mr Omran said: "We are pleased to sign this agreement with Orbita-Plus, and to forge a new commercial partnership within a key part of Thuraya’s coverage area.”
He said Kazakhstan is a major CIS country with a booming economic activity, and that Thuraya is expected to have a significant contribution to the enhancement of the existing telecommunications infrastructure and services that will cope with this country’s growing commercial and economic progress.
He also praised Orbita-Plus as a key player in the Kazakh telecommunications market and one whose expertise would be instrumental to Thuraya’s success in Kazakhstan. “We will work with Orbita-Plus on introducing a broad range of satellite-enhanced telecommunications solutions for people as well as economic and public sectors in Kazakhstan. The unique advantage we offer is a 100 per cent telecommunications coverage for all the Kazakh territories from day one of commercial operation of the Thuraya system,” reiterated Mr Omran.
The General Manager of Orbita-Plus Mr Sargaskaev said: "The signing of the Service Provider agreement with Thuraya is an important step, not only in expanding the business portfolio of Orbita-Plus, but also in supporting the telecommunications services for people and the business community of Kazakhstan,”
“We are proud for the new strategic relationship with Thuraya. We think the Thuraya system will be a key telecommunications solution for several market segments, especially those people and business and public entities located outside the coverage of existing national telecommunications networks,” he added.
He also explained that Kazakhstan has a massive geographical area with many remote and scattered communities and outposts that make it rather uneasy to be fully covered by conventional terrestrial networks.
Orbita-Plus is a leading provider of data and voice-via-internet based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. With a broad telecommunications experience, it is currently implementing an Internet telephony project to provide telephony services throughout Kazakhstan.