Egypt launches first satellite to improve telecommunications and Internet services
Egypt will launch its first communications satellite into orbit on Friday, in a move to improve telecommunications infrastructure and Internet services and attract investment.
The Tiba-1 satellite will be launched at 21:08 GMT aboard a European Ariane Space rocket from the space center in French Guiana, officials said.
The 5.6-tonne satellite, made by Airbus and Thales Elinia Space, will remain in space for at least 15 years, with the aim of providing telecommunications and Internet services throughout the country.
"The satellite will provide a communications network parallel to the existing terrestrial network and provide Egypt with a strong communications infrastructure," Mohamed El-Qousy, chief executive of the Egyptian Space Agency, told Reuters.
The Egyptian space agency will run the satellite from a control center in Cairo.
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Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said in a statement that the satellite "represents a major breakthrough in the field of communications and information technology."
The coverage of Tiba-1 includes some Arab and African neighbors, and Egypt may sell satellite services to those countries in the future.
