Technical testing and assessments validate LEO as a connectivity pathway, joining GEO, MEO and 4G/5G for high-demand applications

Speedcast, a leading communications and IT services provider, announced today that it will become a OneWeb Distribution Partner, integrating OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity into Speedcast’s Unified Global Platform (UGP).

OneWeb is set to enter customer trials in mid-2022, bringing in LEO service for Speedcast’s energy and enterprise customers followed by maritime mobility in 2023. The agreement will add OneWeb’s enterprise-grade, high-speed LEO connectivity to the Speedcast platform, which is one of the largest technology-agnostic networks in the world, seamlessly adding LEO as a connectivity pathway, joining GEO, MEO and 4G/5G for high-demand applications.

Making this integration possible is Speedcast’s substantial investment in network management technologies, with future-ready, software-defined services to help evolve customer operations and maximize what remote sites can achieve. Speedcast’s UGP monitors and automatically selects the right network path based on changes in operating environment, switching among satellites and between space and terrestrial routes to enable any device to choose the right communications path and connect sites and sensors to headquarters, cloud networks and other remote operations. Together with OneWeb services, Speedcast’s global platform will ensure customers in the maritime, energy and enterprise industries benefit from a multi-path, multi-orbit future that includes new LEO connectivity options.

Speedcast is already partnering with OneWeb on live service demonstrations, and this collaboration will extend further in the coming months as Speedcast plans to participate in trials relating to the constellation’s antenna tracking, handovers and related ground equipment.

“Thoroughly testing and evaluating new technologies is at the forefront of how we innovate and deliver advanced solutions for our customers,” said Joe Spytek, Chief Executive Officer at Speedcast. “Our collaboration with OneWeb speaks to both organizations’ alignment in meeting customers’ needs for comprehensive solutions enabling the highest levels of performance. LEO will be an important component in our Speedcast portfolio of managed communications paths, from GEO and MEO to 4G and 5G terrestrial wireless.”

Neil Masterson, CEO at OneWeb, commented on the partnership, sharing: “We are absolutely delighted to enter into a distribution agreement with Speedcast, further extending our mission to provide connectivity to the remotest places on Earth. This agreement will enable Speedcast to expand its expertise in integrated connectivity services for the maritime, energy and enterprise industries with OneWeb’s LEO satellite innovations. Speedcast and OneWeb are looking forward to the results of forthcoming trials this year, where we’ll demonstrate real progress on our maritime mobility and land enterprise offerings.”

Speedcast has also recently been commissioned to develop critical ground infrastructure for OneWeb to support the fleet operator’s Earth Station requirements in parts of Latin America. This agreement reaffirms OneWeb’s ongoing commitment and mission to deliver enterprise grade connectivity for those hardest to reach. OneWeb’s LEO constellation currently includes 428 satellites in orbit, representing two-thirds of its planned fleet, with launches planned to continue later in 2022. OneWeb already has an operational network for the remotest parts of the world above 50 degrees north.