UK’S Oneweb launches final satellites
ONEWEB, the taxpayer-backed rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink, has launched its final set of satellites needed to offer worldwide broadband coverage.
The company said it had fired 36 more satellites into space to take its global fleet to 618, meaning that its socalled constellation would soon be able to offer global broadband coverage.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, executive chairman of Oneweb, said: “Half the world’s population does not have access to fast, reliable connectivity. Today’s launch represents a major step towards closing the digital divide.” The launch comes as competition mounts with Mr Musk’s rival service Starlink, which is already offering broadband via its satellites across the US.
Oneweb was recently forced to launch satellites using rockets made by Starlink’s owner Spacex in the wake of the Ukraine war, which resulted in Russia blocking launches using its rockets.
The wrangling with Russia delayed plans by Oneweb to achieve global coverage last year. Russia blocked it from launches in Kazakhstan last September and seized its satellites. The Kremlin at the time demanded a guarantee from Oneweb that the satellites would not be put to military use and that the British government sold its stake in the business to allow for launches to go ahead, both of which Oneweb refused.
Starlink has more than 3,500 satellites in orbit, according to estimates. Customers can pay Starlink directly for broadband, whereas Oneweb works mostly with telecoms companies who then sell broadband to the public.
The British Government rescued Oneweb from bankruptcy in 2020 with India’s Bharti. Last summer, Eutelsat took over Oneweb but the UK retained a stake.