Page 46 - SAMENA Trends - July-August 2022

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

500 Gbps, EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS is ers for satellite broadband connectivity, velopment. Pascal Homsy, Chief Technical
the largest geostationary satellite ever or- namely Orange via its Nordnet affiliate for Officer at Eutelsat, said: “With EUTELSAT
dered to date in Europe and will embark the the French coverage, Telecom Italia Mobile KONNECT VHTS we are bringing connectiv-
most powerful on-board digital processor, over Italy and Thales Alenia Space to serve ity to a next level. Defying the odds, it is the
offering capacity allocation flexibility and notably the government connectivity ser- most powerful satellite to join the Eutelsat
an optimal spectrum use. This new-gen- vices. These commitments showcase the fleet. It will deliver 230 beams over Western
eration satellite, offering a capacity seven ability of satellites to provide an attractive Europe and is equipped with a Digital Trans-
times that of its brother satellite EUTELSAT solution for bridging the digital divide, at a parent Processor of 5th generation which
KONNECT launched in 2020, comes with time when access to connectivity plays a will give a considerable advantage in terms
several major firmly committed custom- major role in both economic and social de- of frequency flexibility onboard. A state-of-
the-art piece of the finest technology built
by our partners Thales Alenia Space that I
would like to hereby acknowledge as EU-
TELSAT KONNECT VHTS sets off for the
Guiana Space Center.” Marc Henri Serre,
EVP Telecommunications at Thales Alenia
Space, added: “EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS
is the satellite of all superlatives for a cru-
cial mission aiming to bridge the digital di-
vide by providing connectivity everywhere
in Europe. It is the most capacitive satel-
lite ever built by Thales Alenia Space and
our teams provided all the state-of-the art
technologies to make it possible. We are
really proud to see it ready for shipment to
the launch pad and are eager to start the
launch campaign.”

Satellite Operators Eutelsat and OneWeb Sign Merger MoU

French-backed satellite operator
Eutelsat Communications has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with shareholders of UK-based OneWeb
to merge the two companies in an all-
share transaction. The move is aimed
at combining Eutelsat’s 36-strong fleet
of geostationary (GEO) satellites with
OneWeb’s constellation of 648 Low Earth
Orbit (LEO) satellites, of which 428 are
currently in orbit, creating an entity strongly
positioned to address the fast-growing
global connectivity market. A press release
issued notes that the potential transaction
builds on the deepening collaboration
between Eutelsat and OneWeb, begun
with the equity stake acquired by Eutelsat at closing, Eutelsat would own 100% of in the UK. The MoU values OneWeb at
in OneWeb in April 2021, the global OneWeb (excluding the ‘Special Share’ of USD3.4 billion. The transaction is subject
distribution agreement between Eutelsat the UK Government). OneWeb shareholders to clearance from relevant regulatory
and OneWeb announced in March 2022, and would receive 230 million newly issued authorities and conditional on approval by
a new exclusive commercial partnership Eutelsat shares representing 50% of the an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of
addressing mainly the European and enlarged share capital. Eutelsat would Eutelsat shareholders to be held by the end
global cruise markets, also signed today. continue to be listed on Euronext Paris of H1 2023. Eutelsat investors Bpifrance
The transaction would be structured as and apply for admission to standard listing and Fonds Strategique de Participations
an exchange of OneWeb shares by its on the London Stock Exchange, while have already undertaken to vote in favors
shareholders (other than Eutelsat) with OneWeb’s headquarters would remain at the EGM.
new shares issued by Eutelsat, such that,

46 JULY-AUGUST 2022