Türkiye and Qatar have signed a strategic partnership agreement for a next-generation software-defined communications satellite project, a top official said on Tuesday.

The deal forms a long-term collaboration between Turkish satellite operator Türksat and Qatar-based Es'hailSat.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said the agreement covers the Es'hail-3/Türksat-Biruni satellite project and establishes a long-term strategic partnership focused on capacity sharing and joint commercial growth.

The agreement was signed in Doha by Es'hailSat Chair and CEO Ali Ahmed Al-Kuwari and Türksat General Manager Ahmet Hamdi Atalay.

Under the agreement, the partners will jointly utilize the capacity of the high-throughput Ka-band Es'hail-3/Türksat-Biruni satellite, which will operate at the 50 degrees East orbital position.

The cutting-edge satellite will be built by Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales and Leonardo, the company said separately on Tuesday.

The satellite will offer high-speed broadband connectivity services across Europe, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East.

Uraloğlu said the partnership would strengthen Türksat-Biruni's commercial capacity, expand Türkiye's presence in global satellite communications markets and enhance the country's competitiveness in the sector.

The project, financed by Qatar, will add a new high-capacity satellite to Türksat's fleet. Up to 50 gigabits per second (Gbps) of satellite capacity will be made available to Türksat, helping reinforce Türkiye's satellite communications infrastructure, said Uraloğlu.

Under the deal, the companies will also cooperate by sharing satellite assets, ground infrastructure, distribution networks and customer portfolios, aiming to optimize capacity utilization and maximize the satellite's commercial potential from the outset.

Uraloğlu stressed that the project would preserve Türkiye's strategic rights over the 50 degrees East orbital slot and associated frequency allocations, with no transfer of orbital or spectrum rights. The satellite will be registered under Türksat with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

He said the satellite would support broadband internet, aviation and maritime connectivity, government communications and enterprise data services across the region it will cover.

According to Uraloğlu, the agreement also deepens the strategic relationship between Türkiye and Qatar by extending bilateral cooperation into the space and satellite technologies sector.