Philippines-based NOW Corporation, which has investments in telecoms, media, and technology, and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company OneWeb have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bring high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity to the Philippines.
The partners say that the agreement combines the innovative satellite technology of OneWeb with NOW Corp’s existing broadband service and strong local presence, especially in the enterprise market.
OneWeb says its LEO satellites will provide seamless connectivity, enabling NOW to offer a wide range of enhanced broadband services to sectors including government, aviation, maritime, military, energy, healthcare and banking.
NOW says it will work closely with OneWeb in order to deliver stable, high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity with committed information rates.
With its constellation of LEO satellites now fully built out, OneWeb says it is set to complete its rollout of global coverage this year. By tapping into the power of this global network, NOW believes it will be able to extend services into hard-to-reach areas and enhance the speed, latency, and resiliency of its existing offerings.
Not too surprisingly, given that the Philippines is an archipelago made up of thousands of islands, initiatives involving connectivity by LEO satellite for hard-to-reach areas in this country have been in the news recently, with companies like Telesat, SpaceX and Omnispace making headlines in the past 18 months.