OneWeb seeks extra spectrum
July 18, 2023
By Chris Forrester
OneWeb, in the process of being merged with Paris-based Eutelsat, is reportedly seeking to expand the spectrum it needs from the Indian regulators.
OneWeb is part-owned by Indian telco giant Bharti.
OneWeb is said to be seeking trial satellite spectrum from India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in the Ka-band (27.5 to 29.1 GHz and 29.5 to 30 GHz) and Ku-band (14 GHz) in order to test its earth stations and user access terminals, senior company executives said.
OneWeb wants to test the infrastructure ahead of the India launch of its broadband-from-space services, targeted for later this year. The company is striving to get first mover advantage in India over the likes of Elon Musk’s Starlink, Jeff Bezos-led Blue Origin and Reliance Jio in the still untapped India satcom market with a high growth potential. Consultants at EY estimates the country’s space economy to grow to about $13 billion by 2025 from an annual revenue opportunity of around $1 billion now.