Hughes, OneWeb ink pact for Low Earth Orbit satellite service in US, India

Hughes Network Systems and OneWeb have announced agreements for Low Earth Orbit satellite service in the US and India.

Hughes Network Systems, which focuses on satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks, and OneWeb, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company backed by Bharti, said that they have signed a distribution agreement in the US, for enterprise services.

"In India, the parties have entered into an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) for a strategic agreement to distribute services to large enterprises, small and medium businesses, government, telcos and ISPs (Internet Service Providers) in the rural and remote parts of the country," OneWeb said in a statement.

Services will be offered by Hughes Network Systems, LLC, and Hughes Communications India, respectively.

Hughes and OneWeb would work together to broaden distribution globally, with Hughes offering OneWeb's low-latency, high-speed connectivity for markets such as enterprise, government, commercial aviation and maritime, cellular backhaul, and community Wi-Fi hotspots, according to the statement.

It is pertinent to mention here that Hughes, through its parent company EchoStar, is an investor in OneWeb, a company that is building its initial constellation of 648 LEO satellites.

The services will begin this year to the Arctic region including Alaska, Canada, and the UK.

OneWeb had recently said it is on track to offer services in India from May 2022, and that its offering will benefit not just Airtel but the other telecom operators as well, by pushing broadband into underserved and remote areas of the country.

By late 2022, OneWeb will be offering its high-speed, low latency connectivity services, globally.

"Service testing on the satellites already in orbit is underway, using gateways that Hughes is building for the network. Results are positive, including seamless satellite and beam handovers, high speeds and low latency," the statement said.