By Jonathan Easton
Eutelsat Communications has announced a global, multi-year Distribution Partnership Agreement (DPA) with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company OneWeb.
Agreeing a deal to access OneWeb capacity, Eutelsat said that the agreement will pave the way for it to commercialise OneWeb services across key verticals including Maritime, Aviation, Enterprise, Telcos and Government.
The announcement comes after Eutelsat became OneWeb’s second-largest shareholder last December.
Eutelsat said that this agreement showcases the synergies between them and that it delivers Eutelsat’s extensive commercial reach to OneWeb while “complementing Eutelsat’s fleet of geostationary satellites with low Earth orbit assets”.
Looking ahead, the companies will work together on developing combined GEO/LEO connectivity solutions.
Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke said: “As a shareholder in OneWeb, we are excited to play a role in the success of this new constellation by incorporating OneWeb’s connectivity services into our portfolio of solutions. This deal showcases the scope for synergies between our two companies and opens up the potential of low orbit to complement our geostationary assets in the fast-growing markets of aero and maritime mobility, fixed data and government services, building on the development of 5G and cloud technologies that will generate low latency requirements.”
OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson said: “This expanded partnership with Eutelsat offers us a significant opportunity to combine our GEO and LEO connectivity solutions, expanding our global capacity and further enhancing our commercial service. Drawing on Eutelsat’s decades of experience in serving the satellite industry, coupled with OneWeb’s substantial business momentum, the agreement demonstrates our collaborative approach to scaling up our LEO connectivity services. We are thrilled to see our services come together to expand connectivity solutions to communities.”
