LONDON, U.K. – Satellite internet provider OneWeb this week announced some details of its Arctic high-speed, low-latency internet service.
The company says it will deliver 375 Gbps of capacity above the 60th parallel North, with service starting in 2020. It says it will have full, 24-hour coverage by early 2021, blanketing every part of the Arctic Circle with enough capacity to give fibre-like connectivity to hundreds of thousands of homes, planes, and boats, connecting millions across the Arctic, according to the company.
OneWeb launched its first six satellites this past February and will begin monthly launches this December to build its system – and it will begin commercial services in Canada starting in late 2020, according to a company spokesperson.
OneWeb doesn’t intend on going direct to consumer, but instead is able to provide satellite services to any entity authorized to provide services to the public. “Our business model is B2B, so this works well because our interest is in working through telco operators, ISPs, other resellers who know the communities well to help extend, expand coverage to the towns and communities it has not reached before,” said the spokesperson in an email.
“We have global spectrum from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for the Ku and Ka band that will enable global coverage in countries like Canada and beyond,” she added.
“The dense, flexible coverage of OneWeb's polar-orbiting satellites coupled with its high-speed service and low latency capabilities will provide a superior connectivity experience to the 48% of the Arctic currently without broadband coverage. In fact, OneWeb most recently proved its system's capabilities through HD video streaming tests last month with its first six satellites that showcased extreme low latencies under 40 milliseconds and high speed services,” reads the company’s press release.
“Connectivity is now an essential utility and a basic human right. Our constellation will offer universal high-speed Arctic coverage sooner than any other proposed system meeting the need for widespread connectivity across the Arctic,” said Adrian Steckel, OneWeb CEO. OneWeb will facilitate smart shipping, connected aviation, the collection of climate data, and the growth of a digital economy across the region.
It is already active in Norway and Alaska
