Viasat, Türksat and SkyFive Arabia have announced plans to form a strategic roaming partnership aimed at enhancing next-generation in-flight connectivity (IFC) services across Europe, Türkiye and the Middle East and Africa.
The proposed collaboration is designed to address the growing connectivity demands of airlines and aviation customers by enabling more flexible route coverage, improved service continuity and a stronger overall passenger experience for connected aircraft.
At the core of the initiative is a roaming framework that would allow seamless cross-border connectivity for commercial airlines, private aviation and other aviation users. The plan would integrate SkyFive’s air-to-ground network with Viasat’s hybrid satellite and terrestrial European Aviation Network, while also extending access to Türksat’s infrastructure within Türkiye. The use of a shared S-band spectrum across all three networks is expected to simplify implementation and improve interoperability.
As part of its contribution, Türksat is developing a nationwide air-to-ground network in Türkiye to support IFC services for aircraft operating within its airspace. The network is expected to deliver low-latency, high-capacity broadband connectivity, complementing existing satellite-based systems and ensuring smoother transitions for aircraft moving between regional coverage zones.
With Türksat joining the existing collaboration between Viasat and SkyFive, the partnership is positioned to serve as a strategic link between Eastern and Western markets, aligning ongoing IFC investments and creating a foundation for broader cross-network cooperation as demand for connected aviation continues to grow.
Türkiye’s aviation sector, driven by strong tourism, business travel and its role as a global transit hub, presents a significant opportunity for such initiatives. Istanbul Airport remains one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs, connecting regional and international routes.
The companies believe the roaming framework will help establish a more scalable and commercially viable model for future IFC services, improving network interoperability, optimising infrastructure use and delivering high-speed connectivity experiences that align with evolving airline routes and passenger expectations.
Speaking about the collaboration, Shameem Hashmi, SVP, Strategy & Market Expansion, Viasat, said: “Viasat recognises the strong mutual value of collaborating on a joint roaming initiative to enable a seamless connectivity experience for our EAN airline customers operating over Türkiye and into the Middle East and Africa. We look forward to working closely with Türksat and SKYFive Arabia to extend the benefits of this collaboration and further enhance the connectivity experience for our customers.”
Selman Demirel, VP of TURKSAT, added: “Türksat is committed to supporting advanced and commercially practical connectivity solutions for the aviation sector. We believe this collaboration can help create a stronger framework for cross-border service continuity and support the evolving connectivity needs of commercial airlines, private aviation operators, and other aviation customers flying between Türkiye, Middle East and Europe.”
Mohamed K. Abdelrehim, CEO of SKYFive Arabia & SCIT Group, stated: “At SKYFive Arabia, we see roaming capability as an important enabler of broader adoption of air-to-ground in-flight connectivity. Our collaboration with Türksat reflects a shared ambition to support a more seamless, scalable, and commercially attractive connectivity proposition for aviation customers operating across Türkiye, Middle East and the wider European market.”
The initiative is subject to applicable contractual, technical, regulatory, and operational requirements.
