Viasat and Batelco Sign MOU for the Commercialization and Distribution of Business-to-Business Broadband Connectivity Services Across MENA

April 12, 2022

Viasat Inc. and Bahrain Telecommunication Company announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to engage in several business-to-business (B2B) service opportunities across the Middle East and North Africa ("MENA") region.

The non-binding MOU between Viasat and Batelco focuses on the potential commercialization and distribution of satellite broadband connectivity to businesses in the MENA region.

The MOU also addresses exploring other potential service opportunities including: 

Hybrid connectivity solutions combining satellite and terrestrial broadband for business continuity services;

Corporate local area network (LAN) extension services to remote offices using satellite broadband connectivity;

SD-WAN services to optimize the delivery of business applications over multiple access networks;

Temporary satellite broadband connectivity for special projects, events or disaster relief efforts;

Mobile-to-mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) B2B applications;

Use of satellite connectivity for mobile backhaul to remote sites.

Viasat and Batelco seek to leverage satellite broadband capacity from Viasat's current satellite systems, with plans to evolve to the ViaSat-3 satellite platform, once launched and operational. As a first step of the MOU, the companies expect to implement a proof-of-concept trial within the next several months.

Peter Langkilde, Viasat's general manager, Broadband Services, Europe, Middle East and Africa stated, "Viasat is on a path to bring high-quality broadband connectivity to the world. By signing a MOU with Batelco, we can strategically explore various business synergies and collaborations with a proven market leader in the MENA region—ahead of the launch of our next-generation ViaSat-3 satellite constellation. We recognize Batelco shares a similar customer philosophy—to deliver a superior customer experience—and we're looking forward to discovering new opportunities for our advanced B2B broadband services."

Abdulla Danesh, Enterprise General Manager added, "At Batelco we pride ourselves in bringing the latest in technology to our customers, and we believe that this opportunity with Viasat will deliver just that. Leveraging Viasat's advanced satellite technology and our expertise in the market will enable us to provide cutting-edge solutions for enterprise customers in the region- a venture we are very excited about."