• Neo Space Group and Arabsat have signed an MoU covering satellite communications, geospatial products and emerging space technologies
  • The agreement sets areas for cooperation but does not yet include a named service, capacity commitment or deployment timetable

The fact

Neo Space Group, or NSG, and Arabsat signed a memorandum of understanding on 31 August to explore cooperation in satellite communications, geospatial services and emerging space technologies.

NSG, owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, operates across satellite communications, geospatial services and other commercial space activities. Arabsat is a Riyadh-based regional satellite operator established by Arab League member states.

Under the agreement, the companies will explore new geospatial products and services for the Gulf and wider Middle East, alongside opportunities in satellite communications and other space technologies. They have not announced a specific service, customer, capacity commitment, investment amount or deployment timetable.

The assessment

The MoU sets out where NSG and Arabsat may work together, but it does not yet commit either company to a specific project. The agreement covers several areas, including satellite communications and geospatial services, without defining what will be built or delivered.

The next step is to turn those areas of cooperation into a service or project. That could include a customer contract, an allocation of satellite capacity or another agreement that defines what each company will provide. For BTW readers, the MoU establishes the partnership, but the infrastructure work has yet to begin. A named service, customer project or deployment would show which parts of the agreement are moving from discussion into delivery.

What to watch

Watch for the first product, customer project or capacity agreement announced under the partnership. Details on which company provides the satellite capacity, geospatial platform or customer service, along with a launch or deployment date, would show how the MoU is being turned into operational work.