OneWeb aims to deploy 648 low-Earth orbit satellites to provide high-speed internet in areas with low coverage. Currently, it has 428 satellites in orbit. These will now be combined with Eutelsat's 36 geostationary orbit internet satellites.
Unlike SpaceX, OneWeb's service is pitched at businesses rather than individual paying customers. Under the terms of the new merger agreement, OneWeb will continue to trade under its existing name, and it will continue to work from its headquarters in London, U.K. Eutelsat, meanwhile, is based in Paris.OneWeb CEO described the new move as "another bold step" for the company.
The deal requires OneWeb to jump a few regulatory hurdles, including a U.K. government national security clearance process it hopes to complete by next year. In the meantime, SpaceX currently has more than 2,200 satellites in orbit, and it means to eventually send roughly 30,000 total into space. Amazon is likely the private company best positioned to rival SpaceX's Starlink services on a global scale. The company"the largest commercial procurement of launch vehicles in history." Eighty-three rocket launches by United Launch Alliance, Arianespace, and Blue Origin will send Amazon's 3,236 Project Kuiper satellites into LEO in the coming years. OneWeb and Eutelsat will have a lot of catching up to do, which is likely one of the main motivators behind its agreement.
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