Satcom gets a stronger player as OneWeb, Eutelsat Communications join hands

Bharti Enterprises-backed satellite communications company OneWeb on Thursday announced the completion of its merger with French satellite operator Eutelsat Communications to become the second largest satellite operator globally with 669 satellites in orbit.

With a 21.2 per cent share, Bharti Enterprises will be the largest shareholder in the merged entity, which is set to be the first integrated satellite group with both Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

Bharti Enterprises said OneWeb will be a subsidiary operating commercially as Eutelsat OneWeb with its centre of operations remaining in London. The company remains listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange and has applied for standard listing on the London Stock Exchange.

Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal will be the co-chair of the new entity while Shravin Bharti Mittal will be a director on the board of Eutelsat Group and Bharti's lead. Bharti Enterprises Vice Chairman Akhil Gupta will continue as a director on the board of OneWeb.

"Closing the digital divide is a critical mission for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and this combination will synergise the efforts of both the businesses and will accelerate our progress. Today we have created a company, which will bring connectivity to all people around the world and will help us achieve our mission of last mile connectivity," Sunil Bharti Mittal said.

He added that Bharti is excited about providing services in India later this year and the prospects of reaching other countries in the global south.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has already granted OneWeb and Reliance Jio's satellite arm Jio Space Limited the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite Services (GMPCS) licence needed to offer satellite-based broadband services in India. Starlink, the satellite internet constellation operated by US tech billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX, is also in the fray.

However, other necessary approvals from the Department of Space are pending. Most importantly, it would need to acquire the spectrum necessary to offer its services. Industry players are currently awaiting Trai's final recommendations on whether satellite spectrum will be auctioned or allocated by the government. The consultations on the matter ended in June.

The new entity is banking on Eutelsat's powerful GEO fleet, to combine network density and high throughput with the low latency and ubiquity of OneWeb’s LEO constellation to offer customers global, fully integrated connectivity services, Eutelsat said on Thursday.

The combined GEO-LEO service will open up new markets and applications such as fixed connectivity covering both backhaul and corporate networks, mobile connectivity in maritime and inflight domains, and government services.