Oman’s oil and gas company, MB Group, has placed an order for an Astranis MicroGEO satellite to provide dedicated communications services across the country. The deal was revealed in Oman in the presence of MB Group executives and officials from the Oman Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.
The new satellite will significantly expand broadband capacity in key Middle Eastern markets, serving governments, enterprises and local communities. As a dedicated asset, it will allow Oman to maintain sovereign control over its communications infrastructure, supporting the digital development objectives outlined in Oman Vision 2040.
The satellite is scheduled to launch later this year aboard an Astranis Block 3 mission. Astranis had previously secured a dedicated Falcon 9 rocket for Block 3 in 2025, but the launch has now been rescheduled for 2026. Other clients on the same mission include Thailand’s Thaicom and Mexico’s APCO.
Usama Al Barwani, vice chairperson of MB LLC, said: “We’re entering a new era of satellite connectivity with Astranis. For MB Group it marks our continued journey not only in diversification of the group but to embrace cutting-edge technology. Harnessing these wider opportunities through using AI tools from global IoT monitoring to uninterrupted in-flight streaming.”
Astranis CEO John Gedmark described the deal as a nine-figure contract and part of MB Group’s $200m investment in sovereign connectivity. He emphasised the growing need for private, secure networks, and stated, “Sovereign connectivity is no longer optional. Countries need private, secure networks to know their data is secure and in the right hands.”
This marks Oman’s second commercial satellite purchase in recent months, following national operator Space Communication Technologies’ order of an Airbus OneSat in November 2025 for the OmanSat-1 project.
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