Page 69 - SAMENA Trends - July-August 2023

SATELLITE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Airtel Backed OneWeb to Begin Satellite Internet Services from September

Airtel is set to start providing satellite
internet services in selected regions. This
service will be offered by OneWeb, in which
Airtel has a shareholding of 30%. OneWeb
will let users access fully-fledged internet
using Earth orbit satellites. OneWeb is a
satellite service provider, that was backed
by SpaceX, Qualcomm, Airbus, and Google
in the past. In 2020, the company filed for
bankruptcy, but it was bailed out by Airtel
and the United Kingdom Government. Since
then, Airtel has been investing resources to
enter the satellite internet services business
through OneWeb. OneWeb has been
placing satellites in the lower-earth orbit,
which will act as a relay service to provide
internet services to any ground station
below it. The technique is very similar to Starlink is undoubtedly the market leader unlikely that Airtel will bring its satellite
Elon Musk’s Starlink but on a smaller scale. for satellite internet services, but Airtel’s internet services to India. The company is
As of now, OneWeb has a constellation of OneWeb is catching up pretty fast to enter currently focusing on expanding its Airtel
542 satellites for its internet services. For the competition. OneWeb currently has a Xtream fiber connections in the country
comparison, Starlink currently has 4487 limited number of satellites that mainly as a priority. Airtel has also been investing
satellites, which is almost ten times of cover the Arctic region. These include the heavily in deploying 5G connectivity across
OneWeb. Starlink is undoubtedly the market UK, Greenland, Alaska, and some parts of all circles. It also holds a 25% market
leader for satellite internet services, but Canada. This will further be expanded to share in DTH in India. Amongst all these
Airtel’s OneWeb is catching up pretty fast the US and Australia. OneWeb will monitor projects and its existing operational costs
to enter the competition. For comparison, its business operations in these regions for cellular and DTH spectrum, it is very
Starlink currently has 4487 satellites, first, and later expand to other markets like unlikely that Airtel will try to bring OneWeb
which is almost ten times of OneWeb. the Middle East, and South Asia. It is very to India.

Turkish Company Launches World’s Smallest Satellite

Startup Hello Space, described as Turkey's first commercial goes to plan, the services offered will include the provision of
‘pocketqube’ satellite venture, has launched what it describes location data from containers shipped in the ocean, humidity data
as the world’s tiniest satellite – with the help of SpaceX. Hello from remote agricultural lands, and end-to-end temperature data in
Space aims to send a pocketqube constellation into space and long-distance cold-chain food logistics. Consistent, accurate data
offer uninterrupted end-to-end IoT data services from space from space will improve the efficiency of businesses, says Hello
to businesses in agriculture, logistics, energy industries, and Space. Hello Space says is now getting ready for the deployment
many more. Istanbul, the first Hello Space, test pocketqube, with of four new test pocketqube satellites, planned to be launched in
dimensions of 5cm x 5cm x 5cm, was launched into space this October 2023.
week from California, with the SpaceX Falcon-9 Transporter-8
mission. Established in May 2022, Hello Space completed
software and hardware production followed by a space launch
in under 13 months. Concurrent with the pocketqube satellite
production process, the Hello Space Ground Station was built to
serve as the management and control center for the pocketqube
satellite constellation. Through its advanced narrowband data
communication technology, Hello Space will provide continuous
and reliable data services globally by providing coverage from
space. Hello Space will be able to offer IoT services, even in remote
areas with low population density and uncovered regions such as
oceans and remote but significant agricultural lands. If everything

69 JULY-AUGUST 2023