OneWeb
OneWeb, previously known as WorldVu Satellites Ltd is a global communications company building a capability to deliver broadband satellite internet services to a geographically global demographic. Greg Wyler founded the company in 2012. In 2020, the company entered bankruptcy after failing to raise the requisite capital to complete the build and deployment of the remaining 90% of the network. The company laid off approximately 85% of its approximately 500 employees but retained the capability to control its operational satellites during the period of court protection. The company recently came into news as it was revived under the joint ownership of the UK government and Bharti Global.
Recent Developments in OneWeb
After the revival, the company will proceed with its satellite constellation plan. OneWeb has recently gained a lot of funding. According to the ExecutiveBiz, OneWeb has now raised $1.4B in total funding after it received additional investments from Hughes Network Systems and SoftBank Group. This funding will enable OneWeb to realise their plan of having a constellation consisting of 648 satellites in low Earth orbit by 2022. The main aim behind this is that it will enable broadband connectivity and low-latency communication services to people all around the globe. Despite gaining a significant amount of funding, they are still only halfway through. This is probably why the company has decided to cut back on the number of constellations. But the company insists that despite the drop in numbers, the constellation architecture will remain the same.
“This solidification of OneWeb’s constellation demonstrates the commitment and vision of OneWeb’s new owners, the UK Government and Bharti Global who are dedicated to deploying a cost-effective, responsible, and groundbreaking satellite network to deliver global broadband.
OneWeb remains focused on launching its first-generation system of 648 satellites and is on track to start regional commercial services within a year. Today’s streamlining activities highlight OneWeb’s plan for global connectivity services and for future generations and possibilities for the network.”
Aim of OneWeb
The main aim of OneWeb is to “deliver broadband connectivity worldwide to bridge the global Digital Divide by offering everyone, everywhere access including to the Internet of Things (IoT) future and a pathway to 5G”.
By mid-2022, OneWeb plans to launch high-speed internet in India as well. Mittal, the owner, stated that “For rural broadband, I would say Africa, India and less developed countries will benefit from OneWeb’s satellite network. They will have the biggest benefit. For critical applications such as defence, the ministry of defence in the UK is already engaging with us because they need connectivity in very remote areas”. The satellite network will prove advantageous for the 5G network as it will penetrate even the areas fibre and radio waves could not reach.
Starlink
Just like OneWeb, Starlink is another satellite internet constellation. It is being constructed by Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. The constellation will consist of thousands of mass-produced small satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), working in combination with ground transceivers. SpaceX plans to sell some of the satellites for military, scientific, or exploratory purposes. The estimated cost of this project is US$10 billion. The company has already launched 1000 satellites and people are eager to enjoy the high-speed internet.
Recent Developments in Starlink
Starlink has launched a number of satellites, and there are now roughly 960 functioning satellites in orbit, heralding an age of mega-constellations that have prompted worries about visual pollution for astronomers. But SpaceX claims that the compact architectural design of Starlink satellites and the company following all the regulatory and industry standards will enable them to keep the space clean. SpaceX has permission from regulators to launch up to 12,000 satellites and has been planning to send up 42 batches of 60 satellites in a year, to add to its commercial constellation. Right at the beginning of this year, SpaceX launched the 17th batch, consisting of 60 Starlink Satellites using a Falcon 9 rocket. They plan to launch many more to reach their goal soon. Starlink has constantly been testing their satellite internet connection. On 4 November 2020, SpaceX conducted its one-millionth Starlink test and doubled the connection speed. Starlink beta testers have been reporting speeds over 150 megabits per second, above the range announced for the public beta test.
Aim of Starlink
SpaceX intends to provide satellite internet connectivity to underserved areas of the planet, as well as provide competitively priced service to urban areas. According to ElectronicsWeekly, “The goal (of SpaceX) is to build a high-speed global satellite internet service, for which Elon Musk’s company is in competition with the likes of Amazon and OneWeb. With download speeds of up to 50MBps, the aim is to support gaming-level Internet access.” SpaceX claims that “During the beta, users can expect to see data speeds vary from 50Mb/s to 150Mb/s and latency from 20ms to 40ms in most locations over the next several months as we enhance the Starlink system.”
Apart from the goal of high-speed internet, SpaceX also plans to develop a similar satellite communication for Mars.
Conclusion
With the upcoming OneWeb and Starlink satellite constellations, we surely are headed towards a new era. These projects will revolutionize the world of telecommunications. High-speed satellite internet, in even the remotest corners of the world, is a dream that will be realized soon. With consistent launches, Starlink is making huge leaps towards its goal. Needless to say, it has the capability to provide a tough competition to the OneWeb satellite constellation. With OneWeb scaling back its number of satellites, Starlink has an upper hand as they show no sign of slowing down.
