UAE based Yahsat says its third satellite Al Yah 3 -- which will cover 17 countries and 600 million users across Africa and Brazil with broadband services - will be launched in Q4 2016.

Yahsat says it is partnering with Orbital Sciences Corporation (“Orbital”), which will manufacture Al Yah 3. Meanwhile, Arianespace will launch the new satellite into orbit from French Guiana.

Yahsat says its third satellite is expected to cover “more than 95% of the population in Brazil and 60% of the population in Africa.”

The satellite will provide broadband services.

“Looking ahead as development and launch plans progress, Yahsat will continue to explore ground partners and distributors across both Africa and Brazil,” says Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, chief executive officer at Yahsat, in a statement.

“Our aim is not just to launch a satellite, but also provide a 360 degree service platform to facilitate the distribution of broadband and connectivity services in our target markets. Part of this exercise is to ensure we build the right distribution and operational platforms within each of our markets, and we are actively engaged in identifying strong partners across both continents,” says Mahmood.

Yahsat provides multipurpose satellite solutions for broadband, broadcast, government, and communications use across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe in addition to Central and South West Asia.

Yahsat has also partnered with the likes of Vox Telecom in South Africa to provide its ‘YahClick’ satellite broadband services.