When the conversation turns to Africa’s next wave of satellite connectivity at AfricaCom 2025, Space42  naturally takes center stage. The company has emerged as a strategic force in advancing digital infrastructure across the continent, combining ambitious technology initiatives with a vision for scalable, impactful connectivity solutions. To unpack how Space42 is shaping the future of Africa’s digital landscape, TechAfrica News Chief Editor and Founder Akim Benamara sat down with Jassem Nasser, Chief Business Development Officer of Space42 to explore the company’s innovations, strategic priorities, and approach to addressing the connectivity challenges and opportunities facing governments, industries, and communities.

The discussion provided a rare insight into how Space42 leverages partnerships, advanced satellite platforms, and mobility solutions to support Africa’s digital transformation, positioning itself as more than a service provider but as a key enabler of the continent’s broader technology ecosystem. With the digital economy accelerating and the demand for reliable, inclusive connectivity increasing, Space42’s work exemplifies the intersection of technological innovation, strategic foresight, and practical solutions tailored to Africa’s unique context.

What are you showcasing at this year’s AfricaCom?

Lots of things, of course. The portfolio under Space42 is very broad and comprehensive. I mean, if you look at it, you have the geo-satellites, you have the LEO-SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites, you have the apps. You have the GIQ as an Earth Observation kind of platform, with AI capabilities. So, we’re covering upstream all the way to downstream. But if you ask me what we are showing in this event specifically, of course, everything.

The star of the show, I would say, is the Thuraya-4 next-generation system. The satellite was launched in January and now it is in commercial operations, and you can use all our 16 terminals in South Africa, in addition to the previous legacy products.

Part of Space42 is the Mobility L-band under the brand name of Thuraya. We have voice connectivity, data connectivity. Now we’re coming with Thuraya-4 next generation, a new satellite that will be there  for a minimum of 15 years. It comes with a number of ground technology platforms, which basically means new products and new services. It is a very rich portfolio of voice and data capabilities that goes up to 1 megabit per second. This is unheard of in the mobile satellite services (MSS) industry, and we’re covering land, maritime, and aeronautical.

So, we have land terminals, fixed and transportable. We have vehicle, maritime, and aeronautical terminals with fixed wings, rotary, and UAVs, and some of them come in military grade as well as commercial grade. And this is how you see the 16 terminals.

On top of that, you also have what we call T-TAC (Tactical Radio Extender). It’s a VHF/UHF  converter, which basically allows the regular walkie-talkies and radios used by government customers or even oil and gas customers to have beyond-line-of-sight communication. Before, the troops needed to be in line of sight in order to use the walkie-talkies between them. Now, someone can be in one country, the other troop can be in another country, and they can use it via the satellite.

And it doesn’t come to the ground. That’s the beauty of it. You keep using your radios as they are, you keep your encryption as it is. We don’t intervene. We don’t interfere with it. We simply provide a pipe that goes through the satellite, allowing the troops to talk to each other. You use your radios, you use your encryption; it doesn’t come to the ground, so you don’t have to worry about anything in terms of sensitivity of the information being communicated, and you make it available to a much wider footprint.

Of course, there are more services and products to come. But, as I said, Thuraya-4 next-generation systems, I would say, is the star of the show. If I had an event in two weeks’ time in Africa, I would have something else for you, because the portfolio is very broad and very comprehensive. 

You seem quite active in the market right now. What is driving this level of activity? 

Yes, we are very active. And, I mean, definitely we have to be active. We are launching a new satellite, and there is no more enthusiasm and motivation for us to be active than having a new satellite, a completely new system.

Of course, this comes alongside our long-term operations in South Africa and the African continent with the YahClick brand, which is the fixed broadband connectivity. So that comes alongside that.

Today, we have more to offer to our partners, and with them, we will be able to capture more markets here and serve more use cases across different verticals.

Would you say your model is hybrid, offering both end to end solutions and specific standalone solutions, giving you a broad and holistic view of the overall solution stack?

We cover from upstream to downstream. But when it comes to end to end solutions, I would not say that we do that. The reason is that we believe in partnership. We provide our services in a B2B model. 

We have around one hundred or more service partners, and many of them have unique capabilities. They bring their own know-how, their technical skills, and their solutions. They take our product and turn it into a solution. They can take a data terminal and turn it into a medical e-health kind of solution or a tele-education solution.

So we like to give that room to the service partners to innovate and to allow them to capture more market share and more value from the whole supply chain rather than competing with them.

Ecosystem partnerships are very important to us. In fact, I can take you to another dimension of what we are doing. You would have noticed or heard that we launched a new kind of joint venture with Viasat for D2D specifically. It is called Equatys. This was announced back in September, two months back.

The idea is to enable connectivity from a new LEO constellation system to share smartphones, standard smartphones, not unmodified smartphones. And when it comes to Equatys, we believe that services should be provided through a B2B model. We believe in partnership with mobile operators. We think that the best channel to serve customers and consumers is through partnering with mobile operators. In fact, we signed up our first MNO, E& UAE, to explore Equatys with Space42.

When you look at the African continent, there is a strong focus on connecting the unconnected and creating the empowerment needed for digital economies. How can Space42 contribute to that, especially the next one billion we need to connect?

That is a very good question. The African continent is such a rich continent and very promising for growth and business potential.

And if you look at it, the UAE, the United Arab Emirates, is the number one country as a foreign direct investor in the African continent. So you would know, and you would agree with me, that Space42 is very much aligned with that vision and that interest in the African continent.

The African continent presents us with a rich opportunity for growth and business potential. It also presents an opportunity for partnering with very unique partners from this continent. The way we are trying to address the different market segments and verticals is twofold.

One is through the commercial channels by presenting the whole portfolio of Space42, whether it is narrowband mobile connectivity, fixed broadband connectivity, high altitude platforms, or satellite Earth observation capabilities with our GIQ platform. The other channel is leveraging, to the extent possible, the G2G relationships that the UAE has with African countries.

“This is how we are trying to address the market needs in the African continent. It is not only about rural connectivity. It is much more than that. There is a lot that will happen in Africa in terms of digital transformation, and that will need connectivity, like NTN. Connectivity is the backbone for any industry. We cannot live without connectivity, and there is a lot of potential for us to serve these needs and to partner with African countries.”

– Jassem Nasser, Chief Business Development Officer, Space42

To add more context to the “why,” our work is guided by four strategic pillars: secure communications, NTN services, Earth observation, and becoming a preferred partner for geospatial analytics. This is where initiatives like MapAfrica come in. When we talk about digital transformation and connectivity, it goes beyond access alone. MapAfrica, in partnership with Microsoft and Esri, is a project we are actively engaged in, and we are happy to share more information about it. It reflects how we are supporting Africa not only with connectivity but also with geospatial intelligence that strengthens planning, sustainability, and national development efforts.

For us, Africa is not only about rural connectivity. It is much broader. As the continent accelerates its digital transformation, every industry will need connectivity. NTN and other innovative technologies will be vital. Connectivity is the backbone of any modern economy, and we see a great opportunity to support these needs and partner with African nations to drive meaningful progress.

Looking at the current landscape in Africa, especially the past twelve months with Starlink and other disruptions pushing satellites back into the spotlight, where do you see Africa in the next five years in terms of connectivity? Not only for rural areas, but for a more holistic and empowering use of satellite technologies.

I see exponential growth ahead for connectivity across the continent. If you look at Europe or other regions, the satellite has already expanded far beyond what it captured five years ago. Africa is heading in the same direction. There is much more awareness now about satellite connectivity, and several factors are driving this shift.

The cost of space continues to drop. Satellite manufacturing and launch costs are lower than before, which makes satellite and space-based services increasingly affordable. Competition is also creating a healthier environment that encourages innovation and better pricing.

Another major driver is standardization. The space industry is converging with terrestrial technologies, allowing devices to move seamlessly between terrestrial networks and satellite networks. This makes satellite more attractive from both a market standpoint and a user standpoint, because it supports more subscribers, more traffic, and broader use cases.

All of these trends point to a future where satellite is not just a rural solution, but a core part of Africa’s digital landscape over the next five years.