UAE space technology firm Space42 has partnered with US-based Viasat through their joint venture Equatys, committing $1 billion to build out global satellite connectivity services. The goal is to let ordinary, unmodified smartphones connect directly to satellites, potentially eliminating mobile "dead zones" in remote areas by the end of the decade.
Viktor Stoyanov, Chief Operating Officer of Smart Solutions at Space42, said users will soon be able to stay connected "even if you're deep in the ocean, deep in the desert, high in the mountains." Nermeen Negm, Space42's Vice President of Communications, compared the experience to how smartphones already switch seamlessly between Wi-Fi and mobile networks — with satellite connectivity working just as invisibly in the background.
The direct-to-device satellite service is expected to launch commercially in 2029. Alongside this initiative, Space42 is also developing the Foresight constellation, a fleet of five synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites capable of imaging resolutions as fine as 25 centimetres. Unlike optical satellites, the SAR technology can capture usable imagery through cloud cover, smoke and dust, giving it round-the-clock, all-weather monitoring capability.
Abdullah Sharif, senior manager of the Foresight Constellation programme, described this all-weather imaging capacity as a kind of "superpower" that overcomes the limitations of traditional optical satellites, which require clear skies and daylight to function.
Notably, three of the five Foresight satellites were assembled, integrated and tested inside the UAE, underlining the growing depth of the country's domestic space manufacturing capabilities. Combined with Equatys, these programmes position the UAE as an increasingly significant player in the global satellite connectivity and Earth-observation markets, part of a broader national push to diversify into advanced space technologies alongside energy and finance.