Intelsat has announced an advance in its service capabilities, enabled through an expanded deal involving Eutelsat Group’s OneWeb low-earth orbit (LEO) constellation. Intelsat says the deal is “a significant development” for multi-orbit satellite connectivity technology, and puts it in a strong position for the next generation of global connectivity.
The arrangement provides a commitment of US$250 million for LEO services over the first six years (until 2030), with an option for a further six years, at an additional $250 million. This agreement will increase and further integrate LEO capabilities into Intelsat’s offerings to customers.
“We’ve been partnering with Eutelsat for quite some time now, leveraging its OneWeb LEO constellation to offer a multi-orbit solution, primarily in commercial aviation,” said Dave Wajsgras, CEO of Intelsat. “We’re now seeing so many additional opportunities for customers to benefit from multi-orbit solutions. We believe it’s in Intelsat’s interests, Eutelsat’s interests, and our customers’ interests for us to expand the partnership that’s already in place – one that is working well and has strong demand.”
As part of the partnership, Intelsat will cooperate with Eutelsat in the development of its Next Generation OneWeb constellation. Intelsat is due to provide direct design and functionality input to help ensure that the new constellation will have the capabilities to meet real-world customer needs going forward.
Intelsat’s Dave Wajsgras added, “Our team is convinced that pairing Intelsat’s experience and our GEO and terrestrial network with the capabilities we will access via Eutelsat Group’s OneWeb LEO network will enable Intelsat to deliver the absolute best and most comprehensive customer solutions – supporting networks, government and mobility sectors and fuelling our robust growth trajectory.”
