Space42 (UAE) and Viasat (US) signed a binding agreement in Paris on 14 September 2026 to co-found Equatys — the first shared space and ground infrastructure platform for global Direct-to-Device (D2D) and advanced Mobile Satellite Services connectivity. Combined equity commitment is up to $1 billion (about AED 3.67 billion): $400 million from Space42 plus $400 million from Viasat at formation and an additional $200 million from Space42 in a future funding round open to third-party investors. Full-scale target architecture: 2,800 satellites across 60 orbital planes and three altitude layers; commercial service is expected from 2029. Here is what the deal actually contains and why it topped the World Space Business Week agenda.
The joint press release from Space42 (ADX: SPACE42) and Viasat (NASDAQ: VSAT) went out on Monday, 14 September 2026 at 01:00 ET from Paris, on the sidelines of World Space Business Week — the largest global event in the satellite communications industry. The agreement is binding; Equatys still has to clear regulatory approvals, and Viasat has to be formally appointed as the prime technology contractor of the new company.
What Equatys is — and what it does
The partners describe Equatys as "the first shared space and ground infrastructure platform for global Direct-to-Device (D2D) and advanced Mobile Satellite Services connectivity." In practice the platform connects smartphones and ordinary connected devices directly to satellites, bypassing terrestrial cell towers: the service works in places where cellular coverage does not exist — deserts, at sea, in the mountains, in remote logistics corridors and in emergency zones. For mobile network operators (MNOs), Equatys is a platform through which they can offer voice, SMS and data to their subscribers without building a private satellite constellation.
Technologically the platform runs on MSS spectrum: L-band globally and S-band in Europe, totalling more than 100 MHz of coordinated MSS spectrum on 3GPP NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks) standards. Space42 emphasises that its L-band rights are coordinated across more than 160 markets — a rare and hard-to-obtain resource that the partners are converting into a competitive edge against potential players such as Starlink Direct-to-Cell and AST SpaceMobile.
How the money is structured: $400M + $400M + $200M
The financial structure is public and precise:
- $400 million — Space42's initial equity contribution at formation of Equatys;
- $400 million — Viasat's initial equity contribution at formation of Equatys;
- $200 million — additional Space42 contribution in a future funding round open to third-party investors;
- up to $1 billion (about AED 3.67 billion) — combined commitment.
Final ownership percentages are not disclosed in the joint release — they will be fixed in the JV's shareholder documents once the company is incorporated. Viasat will act as prime technology contractor, i.e. the lead technology supplier responsible for key components of the space and ground infrastructure.
2,800 satellites: the constellation footprint
The full-scale target architecture is up to 2,800 satellites across 60 orbital planes in three altitude layers. In aggregate size the constellation will be materially larger than OneWeb (~648 satellites in the baseline architecture) but smaller than Starlink (thousands of satellites). The difference is in the focus: Starlink bets on broadband internet to fixed terminals, Equatys on D2D directly to consumer devices and on MSS for critical services.
According to The National, commercial service from Equatys is expected from 2029 — giving the partners around 3-4 years to deploy the constellation and the ground segment. The joint release gives no exact launch schedule; deployment will be phased, prioritising the first layers of the constellation that can already deliver commercially useful coverage.
Direct quotes from the partners
Karim Michel Sabbagh, Managing Director of Space42, framed the industry position in the joint release: "For the first time, the satellite industry is building infrastructure the way the mobile industry thinks: shared, interoperable, standards-based." The line fits the broader market shift: LEO constellations are moving from being a vertical stack of a single operator to being an infrastructure layer that dozens of MNOs around the world can share.
Mark Dankberg, Chairman and CEO of Viasat, in the release: "We are creating a new infrastructure category for global D2D and advanced MSS connectivity." For Viasat — historically built around GEO satellites and enterprise customers — the partnership with Space42 is an entry into the LEO segment via a capital-heavy JV rather than a standalone build-out from scratch.
Why this matters for the UAE and its tech sector
Space42 is a company publicly listed on Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ticker ADX: SPACE42) that emerged in 2024 from the merger of Al Yah Satellite Communications (Yahsat) and Bayanat under the umbrella of the UAE's AI-and-space hub. Its core shareholders are G42, Mubadala and IHC. The deal with Viasat is the largest publicly disclosed check that Space42 has attracted into a joint venture to date, and a strategic extension of the UAE beyond its regional satcom footprint into the global D2D segment.
Against the backdrop of the UAE 2026 economic outlook — where priority is placed on non-oil diversification and high-tech sectors as drivers of GDP growth — Equatys reinforces Abu Dhabi's position as one of the global nodes of SpaceTech capital. For the local venture ecosystem the signal is clear: access to global technology partnerships anchored on UAE capital is becoming the norm, not the exception.
How the deal fits UAE-US strategic ties
The partnership with Viasat is another episode in the deepening economic ties between the UAE and the US through direct corporate capital, in parallel with the country's trade agreement network. We have covered how the UAE builds international trade corridors and strategic partnerships through CEPA in a separate piece — Equatys lands in the same logic, only at the level of a capital-heavy technology JV rather than a framework trade agreement.
What businesses and investors should do about it today
For public-market investors tracking UAE tech, the deal sets a fundamental trigger for ticker SPACE42 on ADX; the price reaction is worth watching in the first trading sessions after 14 September. For technology entrepreneurs in the UAE working on data, IoT or spatial products: from 2029 onwards a commercial D2D channel opens up for devices outside cellular coverage — a new inference layer for logistics, offshore, field and SmartCity applications; it is worth designing the roadmap now. For mobile operators and service integrators Equatys is a potential partner for extending coverage without CAPEX on a private space segment.
Near-term milestones to watch: regulatory approvals for Equatys; the formal appointment of Viasat as prime technology contractor; the opening of the $200 million third-party funding round, where UAE institutional LPs and others are expected to participate.
Sources: joint Space42 and Viasat press release on GlobeNewswire (14 September 2026, Paris), The National (14 September 2026), Khaleej Times (14 September 2026), Mobile World Live and AGBI. This article is for information only and is not investment advice.
