Satellite communication services provider OneWeb is striving to match the mobile services rates of Western nations with its launch of 36 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites by NewSpace India Limited. To bring more affordable connectivity to more people and communities, the company’s executive chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal has asserted that prices will be at par with existing mobile services plans however, it cannot match “extremely low” tariffs that exist in India.
OneWeb is a global provider of communication services with 618 satellites in its constellation. If a community of 30-40 homes share the services, it will be affordable and come at par with mobile rates. However, the services will cost more for individual use when it comes to India. Eventually, the company expects all permissions for providing satellite services in India to be in place by July-August. Apart from the permission for satellite services, OneWeb will also have to wait for the Spacecom Policy and spectrum allocation for transmitting signals.
OneWeb is a telecommunication company founded in 2012 with the aim to bring affordable broadband internet connection to all the people across the globe. Led by Sunil Bharti Mittal, OneWeb has acquired multiple rounds of funding from different renowned investors, including The SoftBank Group, Hughes Network Systems, and the Government of India’s Department of Space (DoS). It has established ground stations across the US, UK, Norway, Italy and India and is set to launch 700-plus additional LEO satellites in the future.
Sunil Bharti Mittal is an Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Bharti Group, one of the largest conglomerates in India. He serves as the founder and executive chairman of OneWeb and the Chairman of Bharti Enterprises. Under his leadership, the Indian telecom giant has grown to become the third-largest telco in the world with over 400 million subscribers and operations in 18 countries. Mittal has received many recognitions in his career, and has been an active philanthropist.
