Ali Ahmed Al-Kuwari is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Es’hailSat. A strategic leader with a progressive career of 20+ years in guiding and directing an enterprise through substantial resource management by utilizing strong and effective strategic leadership Prior to this appointment Mr. Al-Kuwari was Assistant Secretary General at ict Qatar. He also held the position of Finance Director at ict Qatar and was a member of the organization’s management team overseeing the strategic investment in the satellite initiative which became Es’hailSat. Mr. Al Kuwari has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Master’s degree in Financial Analysis. He joined ict Qatar in 2004 following senior financial positions with Ras Gas and the Ministry of Finance.
Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, is a communications satellite operator headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Es’hailSat was established in 2010 with the goal of managing and developing Qatar’s presence in space. The company provides independent, high-quality, advanced satellite services to broadcasters, businesses and governments in the MENA region and beyond.
With the aim to be a truly global satellite operator and services provider, Es’hailSat started the operation of its first satellite Es’hail-1 at 25.5° East in 2013 supporting key broadcasters in the region, beIN SPORTS and Al Jazeera Media Network. Es’hail-2, the company’s second satellite was launched on November 15, 2018 and entered in commercial service early 2019 at the 26° East orbital position.
Having both Ku-band and Ka-band capacity at 25.5° East and 26° East hotspot positions enable Es’hailSat to provide the region with the most advanced and sophisticated services including broadcast, telecommunications and broadband.
Es’hailSat’s expansion plan will continue with more new satellites in prime hotspot locations, offering our customers the most flexible and reliable service. Es’hailSat is also adopting the concept of “world-wide footprints” through partnerships with leading regional and international satellite operators around the globe.
Welcome to the Es’hailSat website.
Es’hailSat, The Qatar Satellite Company was established in 2010 as an independent company to manage and develop Qatar’s presence in space. Since the launch of Es’hail-1 - Qatar’s first satellite - in August 2013, Es’hailSat has grown to become a highly professional, key player for satellite communications in the MENA region. And the company is currently on target to fulfill the requirements of our key national stakeholders by boosting broadband delivery, broadcasting and global connectivity.
Es’hail-1 is successfully supporting the strong demand for broadcasting services, internet services and critical data distribution in the region. Having started service on Qatar National Day, 18th December 2013, with Al Jazeera Media Network and beIN SPORTS, we have gone from strength to strength with coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the launch of new Arabic channels such as Al Araby HD, Al Rayyan2 and Meklamleen.
Looking to the future, Es’hailSat is also expanding the network to drive growth in the years ahead. Es’hail-2 was launched in November 15, 2018. Our second high-powered, advanced satellite will provide high quality, premium DTH content and critical communications services across the Middle East and North Africa from the 26° East TV hotspot. And we are currently consulting with our stakeholders for their expansion requirements for an additional satellite, Es’hail-3.
At Es’hailSat, we aim to bring a new dimension to Qatar’s diversifying economy by building a world-class company and center of excellence in the region. As well as developing our satellite system in space, we are also investing in local infrastructure and talent, ensuring that we nurture and grow satellite technology for Qatar and key to providing a secure, independent communications network to meet the needs of our stakeholders, customers and citizens now and in the future.
Thank you for visiting our website. We appreciate your support and interest in Es’hailSat, The Qatar Satellite Company.
Sincerely,
Dr Hessa Sultan Al Jaber
Vision
Es’hailSat aims to be a world class operator who effectively contributes to the success of Qatar's National Vision 2030 by adding a new dimension to the diversifying economy.
Mission
Es'hailSat will provide advanced satellite services to strategic stakeholders and commercial customers, who value broadcasting and communications independence, quality service and wide geographical coverage.
Building A Satellite Industry For Qatar, the story of Es’hailSat and our journey into the satellite industry.
TIMELINE
2019
- Es’hailSat signed agreement with BridgeSat to bring laser-based satellite communications services to governments and businesses in the Middle East
- Es’hailSat’s state-of-the-art teleport officially opened
- Es’hail-2 enters into commercial service
2018
- Signed agreement with Satellite Telecommunications Network in Slovenia for connectivity and uplink services
- Signed framework agreement with DiTVe to sell Es’hailSat products and services
- Signed reseller agreement with Citrus TV to sell Es’hailSat services in Algeria
- Signed reseller agreement with Al Awsat to sell Es’hailSat services in Iraq
- Es’hailSat receives the Growth Strategy of the Year award during Broadcast Eurasia & 4th Global Satellite Show 2018
- Es’hail-2 successfully launched on November 15, 2018
- Signed MoU with Katara, Al Thuraya planetarium, to promote education in science
2017
- Qatar TV channels and Al Kass channels launch on Es'hail-1
- Al Rayyan add new channels on to their existing bouqet of channels on Es'hail-1
- Signed partnership agreement with Inmarsat for satellite voice and data connectivity services in the region
- New channel Al Rafidain, launch on Es'hail-1
- Signed framework agreement with Total TR Medya to sell Es’hailSat products and services
- Entered into agreement with O3b for HTS capacity for IP over satellite services
- Signed framework agreement with Al Andalus to sell Es’hailSat products and services in Sudan
- Signed agreement with Jordan Media City to provide uplink services for broadcast customers in MENA
- Es’hailSat receives the Satellite Operator of the Year Award during Global SatShow
2016
- Es’hailSat enters into Memorandum of Understanding with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for satellite services
- beIN has chosen Es’hailSat to transmit live coverage of EUFA Euro 2016 in 4K on Es’hail-1
- New HD channels from beIN launch on Es’hail-1
- New channels Al Rayyan2, Al Bawadi and Mekamleen launch on Es’hail-1
- Es’hailSat receives the Satellite Operator of the Year Award during Global SatShow
2015
- New channel Al Araby TV, launch on Es’hail-1.
- Es’hailSat develops new Ka-band hub for data communications services.
- New state-of-the-art teleport facility in development at a site in Doha providing TT&C support, up-linking and reception facilities.
- Es’hailSat and Ooredoo sign agreement to develop a range of new VSAT services
- Es’hail-2 completes Critical Design Review.
- Es’hailSat launches Satellite And Space Educational Outreach Program for Schools in Qatar
2014
- Es’hailSat selects MELCO (Mitsubishi Electric Company) to build company’s second satellite – Es’hail-2 – scheduled for launch in 2018.
- Es’hailSat Wins Newcomer Satellite Operator of the Year Award at the Euroconsult World Satellite Business Week 2014.
- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) selected to launch Es’hail-2 from Cape Canaveral in 2018
- Es’hailSat Wins ASBU/Broadcast Pro Middle East’s Satellite Operator of the Year 2014 award.
- iSat Networks delivers VSAT terminals to begin commercializing Ka-band payload on Es’hail-1.
2013
- Es’hailSat Engineers Graduate from SSL Internship program to become the country’s first satellite operator engineers.
- Es’hailSat opens Capacity Management Centre in Doha to monitor TV channels, business and data services. The Centre provides 24/7 optimized services to customers, especially interference and protection of customer signals.
- Es’hailSat and Arabsat sign a strategic agreement to expand opportunities at 26° East TV hotspot neighborhood for TV broadcasting.
- Es’hail-1 satellite is launched successfully from French Guiana on 29th August, 2013.
- ictQATAR grants a Public Satellite Telecommunications Networks and Services License to Es’hailSat
- Es’hail-1 enters service on Qatar National Day, 18th December 2013, broadcasting beIN SPORTS and Al Jazeera programming.
2012
- Es’hailSat enters into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Al Jazeera Networks regarding the provision of strategic satellite infrastructure.
- Arianespace is selected to launch Es’hail-1 from the French Guiana Spaceport in South America
2010
- ictQATAR and Eutelsat enter into a strategic partnership to invest in and operate a high capacity satellite at 25.5° East, providing the State of Qatar with independent satellite coverage and connectivity for the Middle East, North Africa.
- Satellite is named “Es’hail-1” - the name of a star announcing clement weather and a joyful season in the Middle East region.
- SSL is selected to build the high performance satellite based on the company’s 1300 satellite bus, a decades-proven, modular platform with high power capability and flexibility for a broad range of applications.
- SSL provides Es’hailSat with an intensive two-year satellite engineering internship program to help train four engineers to become the country’s first satellite operations engineers. Under SSL’s guidance, they followed Es’hail-1 through design, manufacture, test and launch.
Chairperson
HE Dr. Hessa Sultan Al JaberVice Chairperson
General Major Abdulaziz Falah AldosariBoard Member
General Major. Ali Salem Al HenzabBoard Member
Mr. Mohammed Khalid Al MannaiBoard Member
Mr. Ahmed Marzouq Al FahadBoard Member
Mr. Mohammed Ahmed Al HardanBoard Member
Mr. Yousef Mohammed Al ObaidlyBoard Member
Eng. Khalid N. Sadiq Al HashmiBoard Secretary
Mrs. Maryam Alkuwari-
Ali Ahmed Al-Kuwari, President & Chief Executive Officer
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Saif Mansoor Al-Khaldi, Vice President – Corporate & Strategy
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Saif started his career as an Engineer at Maersk Oil Qatar in 2000. After spending seven years at Maersk, he moved to Kahramaa to work as a Project Manager. The next step was to Qatari Diar as Senior Manager of Cost and Planning responsible for all international projects. In 2010 Saif joined the Es'hailSat team as a Project Director where he led the Es'hail-1 program and drove the development of the Es'hail-2 program. In 2015, he was promoted to the Vice President of Corporate and Strategy.
Saif holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and an Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA-2016) from HEC Paris.
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Zoubair Kachri, Vice President - Technical
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Zoubair Kachri is responsible for managing Es’hailSat’s space and ground segments procurement and operations. Zoubair has a wealth of experience in the satellite industry in disciplines including satellite design and procurement, launch and ground operations management and customer delivery. Prior to joining Es’hailSat, Zoubair was Managing Director at LSE Space GmbH which provides consultancy services to a number of international space agencies and satellite operators. Zoubair holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration specializing in Finance.
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Hamad Omar A. Al-Mannai, Vice President - Commercial
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Hamad began his career as GSM Networks Engineer and served later as Head of Operations and Maintenance Networks in Qtel. He then moved as a Head of wired and wireless networks in the military field until he was appointed Director of Communications. He was a member of the Integrated System Committee, which later turned into a National Security Shield project, and a member of the establishment of the National Command Center Committee. He holds a BS degree in General Electrical Engineering specialized in Communication and Master degree in Business administration.
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Tarek Mohamed El Gaby , Internal Audit Director
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Tarek is the Director heading the Internal Audit Department for Es’hailSat. He has over 18 years of experience in the field of Internal Audit, Risk Assurance and Consulting services. Prior to joining Es’hailSat, Tarek had 11 years of professional international experience with Pricewaterhouse Coopers and was the Senior Manager leading Internal Audit Services of PricewaterhouseCoopers , Qatar. Mr. El Gaby holds Bachelor of Commerce and qualified as Chartered Accountant (CA) from Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Australia, Certified Public Accountant (CPA) from Colorado State Board of Accountancy, Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and hold certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) from Institute of Internal Auditors in Florida, USA. He is also Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Financial Manager (CFM) from Institute of Management Accountants, New Jersey, USA.
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Mrs. Maryam Alkuwari, Executive Director – Legal, Board Secretary
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Mrs. Maryam Alkuwari joined Es’hailSat in 2021 and has over 12 years of experience in the legal field. She holds a Bachelor’s degree (LLB) from Cardiff University, Wales and a Master’s degree (MSc) in Finance from Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha.
Mrs. Maryam is a licensed Qatari lawyer familiar with dispute resolution and settlement. She has a wide experience in the fields of oil & gas, technology, construction, finance, corporate affairs and corporate governance. She served as the Secretary of the Board for a major listed Qatari company for 6 years and is now the Secretary of the Board in Es'hailSat providing legal advise and guidance to the Board in relation to governance and major transactions.
Since its inception, Es’hailSat has placed strong emphasis on capacity building and the development of our staff. In 2013, four engineers from Es’hailSat completed a 26-month intensive training satellite training program with Space Systems/Loral (SSL), manufacturer of our first satellite – Es’hail-1.
And we continued our knowledge-building and skills development with a similar training program for Qatari engineers during the design and manufacture of our second satellite, Es’hail-2. Built in Japan by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Es’hail 2 was launched on November 15, 2018 by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral in the USA.
Additionally, we have sponsored a number of Qatari school leavers who have enrolled in engineering degrees specializing in satellite communications. These steps are part of our program to develop a core expertise in satellite technology and develop our future leaders. Having satellite knowledge and operational experience plays a vital role to greater self-reliance and therefore sustainability.
Our social responsibility focus is on educational projects that contribute to the development of a knowledge-based economy and a communications-based society.
Our aim is to raise general awareness in the field of space and satellite communications and also to promote and foster space technology development in Qatar.
Our current community educational outreach program is taking Es’hailSat Ambassadors out to a series of schools in Doha to tell the story of Qatar’s First Satellite.
Students can hear about what it takes to design, build and put a satellite into space and how important satellite networks are for everyday life.
