OneWeb, a satellite internet operator is all set to provide high-speed internet services in India by 2022. For the unaware, OneWeb is owned by Bharti Group and the UK government. Today it launched a total of 36 satellites into space from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia. The company has plans for providing high-speed internet services in India by mid-2022 and in the global markets by late 2021. Sunil Mittal, Chairman of the Bharti Enterprises said that this step by the company is just the start in building the world’s first Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation for providing uninterrupted internet services all around — more details ahead.
OneWeb to Provide Satellite Internet in Unconnected and Under Connected Areas
One thing that’s beneficial about satellite internet is that it can reach even the remotest of locations. That’s what OneWeb seeks to achieve as well. Mittal said that OneWeb will be providing internet services in regions of the country where there is less or no access to broadband connectivity at all. The 36 new satellites launched recently takes the total tally of OneWeb’s satellites out in the space to 110. OneWeb is looking to build a constellation of 648 satellites so that it can provide high-speed internet access globally. For doing so, the company has already completed four launches and secured global priority spectrum. Shravin Mittal, Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises expressed that OneWeb is ready to enter the Indian market either through a commercial partnership route or directly on its own. The satellite internet operator is eyeing to start Indian operations by June 2022.
In the current scenario, a satellite internet operator from foreign cannot directly provide broadband connectivity services without first passing through the Antrix corporation which is the commercial and marketing leg of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Bharti Group earlier this year saved OneWeb from going bankrupt by investing a total of $1 billion through Bharti Global along with the UK Government. For the unaware, Bharti Global is the overseas business group of Bharti Enterprises. Initially, OneWeb will be focusing on providing satellite internet services in countries such as the UK, the US, Greenland, Iceland, Northern Europe, Canada, and the Arctic Seas. The constellation of satellites by OneWeb will allow users to access high-speed internet regardless of wherever they are in the concerned region, be it sea, air, or land. The officials of OneWeb have said that the company has already started hiring at a fast pace and will be returning to its full operations very soon.
