Eutelsat OneWeb (formerly OneWeb) is a satellite communications company aiming to bridge the digital divide by providing high-speed, low-latency broadband internet services globally via a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. As a subsidiary of Eutelsat Group, it focuses on delivering connectivity solutions to governments, enterprises, and communities in underserved areas, as well as to the maritime and aviation sectors. Key partners include distribution partners, Airbus (through OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture for satellite manufacturing), and technology providers like Microsoft Azure and AWS for network peering.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
SoftBank is OneWeb’s largest investor and led the $1,250,000,000 financing round.
OneWeb Satellite’s Florida factory was projected to complete 350 to 400 satellites annually.
OneWeb is counting on one or more Ariane 6 launches plus multiple Virgin Orbit LauncherOne missions to complete its constellation by 2021.
Grupo Salinas invested $25,000,000 in OneWeb’s 2015 funding round and $76,000,000 in OneWeb’s 2016 funding round.
A Russian Soyuz rocket launched from French Guiana on 2019-02-27, delivering six French-built OneWeb satellites into low Earth orbit.
OneWeb will begin monthly launches of more than 30 satellites at a time in the fourth quarter of 2019 to deploy its constellation.
The majority of OneWeb’s contracted Soyuz launches are expected to take place from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
OneWeb reported having raised and spent more than $2,000,000,000 to date, including $1,700,000,000 from two equity rounds since 2015 and an undisclosed 2018 amount.
OneWeb received an initial $500,000,000 in 2015 from Airbus, Hughes Network Systems, Intelsat, Qualcomm, Virgin Group, Coca-Cola, Grupo Salinas, and Bharti Airtel.
In a 2019-03-18 financing round, investors led by SoftBank Group, Grupo Salinas, Qualcomm Technologies, and the government of Rwanda invested $1,250,000,000 in OneWeb.
OneWeb expects to begin launching roughly 30 satellites at a time on Soyuz rockets every three to four weeks in late summer or 2019-09-05.
OneWeb previously raised $500,000,000 in 2015, $1,200,000,000 in 2016, and around $450,000,000 in undisclosed fundraising last year.
OneWeb’s 2019-03-18 funding round brought the company’s total capital to $3,400,000,000.
Arianespace is OneWeb’s principal launch provider and launched OneWeb’s first six satellites on a Soyuz rocket on 2019-02-27.
Arianespace secured OneWeb as a customer for the inaugural Ariane 6 mission and holds options for two additional Ariane 6 missions to support OneWeb’s deployment of 650 to 2,000 satellites.
OneWeb has spent more than $2,000,000,000 preparing its low-Earth-orbit constellation.
With six satellites, OneWeb can provide service for approximately 18 minutes at a time.
The first six OneWeb satellites were launched on 2019-02-27 aboard a Soyuz rocket from Kourou, French Guiana.
The Soyuz rocket deployed the first two OneWeb satellites 63 minutes after a 4:37 p.m. Eastern liftoff.
OneWeb Satellites plans to build the remainder of the first-generation constellation at a new $85,000,000 factory in Exploration Park, Florida.