Viasat and Azercosmos, Azerbaijan’s satellite operator, are cooperating to provide connectivity in Azerbaijan and to its partners later this year.

The collaboration aims to expand satellite-enabled services to support energy, utilities, and transport industries in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Central and South Asia.

Under the proposed arrangement, Azercosmos and Viasat will provide L-band satellite services for a range of industrial applications, including very remote locations. This includes powering applications like tracking and telemetry for transport systems, pipeline monitoring and control for energy companies, real-time control for utilities, and environmental or safety monitoring for mining and agriculture.

Oil and gas are the most prominent products of Azerbaijan’s economy. The country’s economy has grown since the completion of the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, a 1,768 kilometres (1,099 mi) long crude oil pipeline from the Azeri–Chirag–Gunashli oil field in the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.

Azercosmos provides a range of telecommunications, remote sensing, surveying, and ground station communications services in both public and private sectors. The collaboration with Viasat will expand its available connectivity offering, meaning it can provide more services for existing and new customers alongside connectivity from its existing satellite fleet.

Andy Kessler, President, Viasat Enterprise and Land Mobile, said: “Our global satellite fleet powers a vast range of applications and sectors across the world, ranging from a single explorer using a satellite phone to major industrial sites managing complex supply chains across borders. To make that happen, we are proud to work with a diverse ecosystem of partners to put our customers’ vision first. Partnering with Azercosmos is an exciting step forward to bring those services to new people and organisations.”

Fuad Aslanov, Vice-chairman of Azercosmos, noted: “The agile response in the satellite service market is critically important for us, and as Azercosmos, we aim to expand our reliable service to consumers and businesses globally. This landmark agreement with our strategic partner, Viasat, will solidify our collaboration in unlocking boundless possibilities in connectivity in EMEA and Asia.”