OneWeb to launch Low Earth Orbit satellite service in US, India
A rocket booster with satellites of British firm OneWeb blasts off from a launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on August 22, 2021. Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS
By:
Pramod Thomas
BRITISH firm OneWeb has partnered with Hughes Network Systems to provide Low Earth Orbit satellite service in the US and India.
Backed by Bharti, OneWeb has said that they have signed a distribution agreement in the US, for enterprise services with Hughes, which focuses on satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks.
“In India, the parties have entered into an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) for a strategic agreement to distribute services to large enterprises, small and medium businesses, government, telcos and ISPs (Internet Service Providers) in the rural and remote parts of the country,” OneWeb said in a statement.
Under the pact, services will be offered by Hughes Network Systems, LLC, and Hughes Communications India, respectively.
According to a statement, both the firms would work together to broaden distribution globally for markets such as enterprise, government, commercial aviation and maritime, cellular backhaul, and community Wi-Fi hotspots.
Hughes, through its parent company EchoStar, is an investor in OneWeb, a company that is building its initial constellation of 648 LEO satellites.
The services will begin this year to the Arctic region including Alaska, Canada, and the UK.
OneWeb recently said it is on track to offer services in India from May 2022, and that its offering will benefit not just Airtel but the other telecom operators as well.
The company wants to push, broadband into underserved and remote areas of the country.
By late 2022, OneWeb will be offering its high-speed, low latency connectivity services, globally.
“Service testing on the satellites already in orbit is underway, using gateways that Hughes is building for the network. Results are positive, including seamless satellite and beam handovers, high speeds and low latency,” the statement added.
OneWeb emerged from the bankruptcy proceedings and reorganization in November 2020 with a new ownership group, led by the British government and Indian multinational company Bharti Global, each holding 42 per cent of the company.
