With OneWeb capacity, Hughes is expected to offer services to enterprises and governments even in areas that cannot be covered by fibre connectivity
OneWeb aims to have a fleet of 648 LEO satellites to offer satellite broadband service in various parts of the world. (Credit: Roscosmos, Baikonur Space Center, TsENKI/ONEWEB.NET)
OneWeb, a UK-based low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, has signed a distribution partner agreement with Hughes Network Systems to offer LEO satellite broadband service in India.
The agreement follows a memorandum of understanding signed by the company and Hughes Communications India (HCIPL) last September.
HCIPL is a joint venture between US-based satellite internet service provider Hughes Network Systems and Bharti Airtel, an Indian telecommunications company. Bharti Airtel is also among the key shareholders of OneWeb.
With OneWeb capacity, HCIPL is expected to provide services to enterprises and governments even in areas that cannot be covered by fibre connectivity.
OneWeb said that it will connect towns, villages along with local and regional municipalities in the remotest of areas, thereby playing an important part in bridging the digital divide in India.
OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson said: “OneWeb’s constellation will cover the length and breadth of India, from Ladakh to Kanyakumari and from Gujarat to the Northeast and bring secure solutions to enterprises, governments, telcos, airline companies and maritime customers.
“OneWeb will invest in setting up enabling infrastructure such as Gateways and PoPs in India to light up the services.”
The distribution partner agreement is an expansion of an existing relationship between OneWeb and Hughes Network Systems. Through its parent firm EchoStar, Hughes Network Systems is another shareholder in the UK-based satellite communications company.
Hughes Network Systems is also OneWeb’s ecosystem partner. The company is helping the latter in developing gateway electronics, including for those in the Indian states of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu and the core module that will power all the user terminals for the system.
Besides, Hughes Network Systems is the prime contractor on an agreement with the US Air Force Research Lab for integrating and demonstrating managed LEO satellite communications by using OneWeb’s capacity in the Arctic region.
HCIPL president and managing director Partho Banerjee said: “This announcement marks a turning point for Digital India. Enterprise and government customers, including telecom service providers, banks, factories, schools, defence organisations, domestic airlines, and offshore vessel operators, are eagerly anticipating the arrival of new high performing satcom services.
“We look forward to bringing them high-speed, low-latency services from HCIPL using OneWeb capacity—and catapulting India to the cutting edge of connectivity.”
OneWeb is aiming to start a global LEO satellite broadband service by the end of this year. The company has 394 in-orbit satellites in place out of the planned 648 LEO satellite fleet.