Published On 23/11/2025
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Last update: 17:16 (Mecca time)
The Sultanate of Oman on Sunday concluded an agreement with the French defense and space company Airbus to “design, manufacture and launch the first communications satellite” in the country.
The Oman News Agency reported that the Sultanate signed “an agreement to design and manufacture the first Omani satellite for communications services (OmanSat-1) with Airbus Defense and Space Company.”
She explained that the step comes “as part of national efforts to strengthen the communications system and digital sovereignty, and build national capabilities in the fields of space and future technologies.”
The agreement was signed by the Omani Minister of Transport and Communications, Saeed Al-Maawali, while it was signed by Airbus’s CEO of Space Systems, Alain Foret, according to the Omani News Agency.
Frequency range
“OmanSat-1” will be designed and manufactured by Airbus with high capacity in the KA frequency band, and will cover the Sultanate of Oman, including its economic waters, in addition to the Middle East, East Africa and Asia, according to the agency.
Al-Mawali said in a speech after the signing, “The project aims to strengthen the digital sovereignty of the Sultanate of Oman by possessing a national satellite infrastructure capable of providing communications and data services in an independent and secure manner, which enhances the level of national information security and supports the continuity of vital services in various circumstances.”
The project also contributes to “expanding coverage in rural areas and improving the quality of communications and Internet services,” according to Al-Maawali.
For his part, Fauré expressed his happiness at signing a contract to provide the Sultanate of Oman with “world-class and fully flexible” satellite communications capabilities through its first geostationary satellite, according to what was reported by Omani media.
The Sultanate of Oman has recently been interested in strengthening its space presence in several fields.
In November 2024, the Sultanate of Oman announced that the government company “Oman Lens” launched the first Omani satellite registered in the name of the Sultanate of Oman with the International Telecommunications Organization (ITU). It specializes in remote sensing and Earth observation techniques, and is enhanced with artificial intelligence techniques.