Dubai: UAE-based Thuraya Telecommunications Company, a leading mobile satellite services operator, will be launching a game-changing product within the next couple of weeks to convert an iPhone 4 into a satellite phone.
“Sat Sleeve is a cover with an antenna where users can slide their iPhone 4 into it and it converts into a satellite phone. Users can use anywhere in our footprint,” Jasem Nasser, vice-president, strategy and business development at Thuraya, told Gulf News.
He said the sleeve is useful when users are stuck in a place where there is no 3G or GSM coverage. “We are working on iPhone 5 and other models.”
Nasser said the product is not expensive when compared to other iPhone accessories and it will be sold globally through distributors.
Thuraya has seen a rapid rise in demand for its products and services in the Middle East and Asia, he said, and added that the company has registered a double digit growth last year.
“With two satellites — Thuraya 2 and Thuraya 3 — we cover more than 140 countries. We are in the right path of growth as the industry itself was witnessing a slowdown last year,” he said.
According to industry experts, the mobile satellite services industry forecast a growth of around two per cent this year.
Market share
Thuraya holds around 65 per cent market share for mobile satellite services in the Middle East.
“Our data subscribers grew by almost 60 per cent and data traffic grew by around 30 per cent year-on-year in 2012,” Nasser said.
Noting that the Arab Spring was a lucrative business for Thuraya, he said that Arab Spring was an occasional event and we are more focused on stable business in different market areas.
Thuraya’s main ambition is to grow its business in Asian markets despite stiff competition in maritime sector.
He said Asia is relatively a new market for Thuraya compared to the Middle East, Africa and Europe, and which is growing at a faster pace.
“We have changed the momentum in the business and are studying all options for expanding our business to register double-digit growth this year also,” he said.
