By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
RASCOM Director General
Timothy Adi Ashong will join a high-level panel on satellite connectivity and
universal access at the 2026 Global Space Connectivity & Sustainability
Events in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The event, co-organized by
the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) Saudi Arabia and the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), runs from 12 to 14 October 2026.
Ashong will participate in
the session, “From Ambition to Access: The Role of Satellite in Achieving
Universal Access,” under the Connectivity Focus of Connecting the World from
the Skies.
The session will examine
what it will take to connect the billions who remain unconnected and the role
of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) in achieving universal access. Discussions
will cover the global satellite connectivity landscape, the evolving roles of
GEO, MEO and LEO operators, direct-to-device services, and the technological,
commercial and regulatory challenges shaping the road to universal access.
Ashong will join Isabelle
Mauro, Director General of GSOA, who will moderate the session, alongside
Gilles Bregant, CEO of Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR); Badr
NAlsuwaidan, CEO and President of ARABSAT; and Mark Rigolle, CEO of ABS
Satellite.
The 2026 Global Space
Connectivity & Sustainability Events brings together two established
events, “Connecting the World from the Skies” and the “Space Sustainability
Forum,” as a single platform focused on innovation in non-terrestrial networks
and space sustainability.
Ashong’s participation will
bring RASCOM’s perspective to discussions on expanding satellite connectivity
and advancing universal access, with particular relevance to Africa’s
connectivity needs.
