Es’hailSat - the Qatar Satellite Company - yesterday marked a major milestone in the Es’hail 1 satellite programme with the official opening of the company’s capacity management centre (CMC) in Doha. Es’hail 1, Qatar’s first satellite, is scheduled for launch in 2013.

A delegation comprising Es’hailSat board members, including vice-chairperson HE Dr Hessa Sultan al-Jaber, the Minister of Information & Communication Technology, attended the official opening at the company’s headquarters to view the capabilities of the hi-tech facility.

Es’hailSat’s CMC will manage
access to the company’s satellite fleet, starting with Es’hail 1. The centre is to be manned 24/7 to guarantee and co-ordinate the delivery of high-quality, optimised services to customers with a strong emphasis on interference mitigation and protection of customer signals.

Es’hailSat’s experienced engineers will continuously monitor the TV channels, business services and other data/voice streams transmitted through the Es’hail fleet of satellites. The capacity management centre integrates state-of-the-art technologies to allow automatic problem detection and a CMC hotline for quick troubleshooting and resolution.

Es’hailSat’s CEO Ali Ahmed al-Kuwari said, “We are delighted that our CMC is up and running, which further demonstrates our commitment to operational excellence and superior customer support. Completion of the CMC marks another significant milestone in the Es’hailSat programme and underpins our plans to become a leading satellite operator and centre of excellence in the region.”

With its first satellite - Es’hail 1 - scheduled for launch and future satellites planned, Es’hailSat will be able to supply the necessary capacity and customer service to enable TV channels, telecom operators, businesses and governments to substantially increase their communications capability, particularly in broadcasting in HD and 3D services. 

Es’hailSat aims to provide high-quality, independent satellite services to customers throughout the Middle East and North Africa and support Qatar’s commitment to developing the information and telecommunications sector as outlined in the Qatar National Vision 2030.