OneWeb, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, announced the launch of 36 satellites from a Soyuz launch vehicle, which began from the Vostochny Cosmodrome (Russia).
This brings the total in-orbit constellation to 110 satellites, part of OneWeb’s 648 LEO satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed global connectivity.
The launch puts OneWeb on track to offer global services to customers from late 2021, starting with the United Kingdom, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland, Iceland, the Artic Seas, and Canada, with global service in 2022.
OneWeb has secured global priority spectrum rights and completed four launches and aims to offer high-speed internet from OneWeb satellites in India by mid-2022.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, said there is a demand for broadband and the pandemic has taxed infrastructure everywhere. OneWeb’s system will help meet existing and future demand by delivering broadband to the communities, towns, regions left unconnected or under-connected.
