Boeing Satellite Systems, a unit of Boeing Co., has won a contract to build a third satellite for the Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co.,

The size of the contract wasn't disclosed.

As part of a dlrs 1 billion contract, the United Arab Emirates company in 1997 contracted Boeing to build, insure and launch Thuraya's first satellite, manufacture 235,000 satellite handsets and construct the network's primary gateway facilities in the U.A.E. emirate of Sharjah, a Thuraya spokesman said.

The launch and insurance of Thuraya's second satellite, scheduled for January 2003, is part of a separate contract. Thuraya-2 will join the same orbital slot as Thuraya-1, which was launched in October 2000.

Thuraya's satellite network encompasses 106 countries in Europe, North and Central Africa, the Middle East and Central and South Asia, reaching 2.3 billion people.

Since 2001, the company has sold 65,000 handsets, which offer both satellite and GSM services, and logged 6.5 million phone-call minutes.

Emirates Telecommunications Corp., or Etisalat, is the majority shareholder of Thuraya. Boeing Satellite Systems International Inc., the manufacturing arm of Boeing Space and Communications, holds a 2 percent stake in the company.
 

Latest Mobile Satellite News
Alcatel Space to deliver hybrid satellite for RASCOM To Cover Africa
Thuraya and Sudatel form joint venture
Iridium Satellite LLC Launches Short Burst Data Services
Stratos Launches Regional BGAN Service
Iridium Satellite Announces Successful Deployment of Spares
Iridium Satellite Signs Deal With Telstra
FCC to Require Iridium to Commit to New Satellites
Ericsson to deliver 3G core network to Inmarsat
War images now sent via satellite 'videophones'
Globalstar Extends Data Services to Telit Phone Units
Thuraya Satellite Phone Service Ready for Launch
Ericsson files second complaint against Globalstar
Iridium finds second calling in global Net service
Iridium satellite network coming back
Creditors of Iridium to sue Motorola
Iridium Plans New Pricing, Services
Globalstar adds Data Mode
Inmarsat 144kbps Data Service over Thuraya System
Globalstar 2000 loss widens
Thuraya Satellite launched
OrbComm Files for Voluntary Chapter 11 Protection 
Iridium Gets Temporary Reprieve
Globalstar Launches in Russia
Castle Harlan Drops Bid for Iridium 

More On...
Iridium
Globalstar
Inmarsat
AceS (Asian regional system)
Ericsson R190 satellite handset.
OrbComm
Thuraya for Middle East
Odyssey
Technical comparisons between satellite systems
Call, handset and systems cost comparisons
Explanation of LEO, MEO, GEO satellite systems
Glossary of satellite terms
South Africas First Satellite
GMSS - the new satellite phone standard
The Halo broadband data network
Who launches satellites?