OneWeb (formerly WorldVu) is a UK-based venture that launches orbiting satellites that work to provide broad internet access to users from anywhere in the world.
The history of the emergence and development of Oneveb
Initially, in 2017, the OneWeb JV and the Gonets Satellite System Joint Stock Company were organized in order to develop Internet access in our country through satellites operating at high speed. Initially, OneWeb had 60% of the shares in the joint venture, but in 2019 the shareholding in the authorized capital decreased to 49% in relation to the participant from Russia. Over the past 3 years, the formalized applications of the Anglo-Russian company OneWeb for the acquisition of frequency resources have been considered many times by the State Commission on Radio Frequencies of Russia (SCRF), but no approving result was adopted on this application. As a result, the application was withdrawn to “clarify information based on the conditions of the country’s legislation.” OneWeb recently announced its intention to withdraw from the OneWeb JV,which was organized together with the Gonets satellite system owned by Russia. The news was announced by the English website “The Daily Telegraph”, citing information from the company’s representatives.
OneWeb problems, bankruptcy
In March 2020, CNews wrote about the bankruptcy proceedings against OneWeb, associated with huge enterprise costs and a strong competitive environment for similar serious projects from other Amazon and SpaceX market players. A little later, the company asked the leadership of the state of England for borrowed funds in the amount of 500 million pounds, which is approximately $ 645 million, which can be issued within the complex of providing finance for various projects for $ 2.2 billion from individual sponsors.
OneWeb LEO satellite [/ caption] Initially, OneWeb was denied a loan, but after bankruptcy proceedings were launched, the British leadership and the Indian telecommunications company Bharti Global signed an agreement to form a holding company BidCo 100 Ltd. for the purchase of the bankrupt OneWeb with investments of $ 500 million from both participants. In mid-2020, the holding structure wins a $ 1 billion contract, and on October 2, 2020, the American bankruptcy court, where the OneWeb case was heard, approves the agreement to transfer OneWeb to the UK state and Bharti Global. Since its inception in 2012, OneWeb has leveraged an estimated $ 3.3 billion in funding from numerous large sponsors including Airbus, Qualcomm and SoftBank Group. According to Bloomberg,specific shareholder of the joint venture BidCo 100 Ltd. will have 45% of shares in the structure of OneWeb, the remaining 10% will be transferred to existing investment companies or individuals. However, they still have the option of not approving such an agreement to sell BidCo 100 Ltd. Despite the fact that procedural bankruptcy cases started in the summer of 2020, OneWeb organized the attraction of $ 140 million for work on the manufacture of satellite equipment on the company’s premises in the manufacturing workshops of OneWeb Satellites located in Florida, America, which was created together with Airbus. the remaining 10% will be transferred to existing investment companies or individuals. However, they still have the option of not approving such an agreement to sell BidCo 100 Ltd. Despite the fact that procedural bankruptcy cases started in the summer of 2020, OneWeb organized the attraction of $ 140 million for work on the manufacture of satellite equipment on the company’s premises in the manufacturing workshops of OneWeb Satellites located in Florida, America, which was created together with Airbus. the remaining 10% will be transferred to existing investment companies or individuals. However, they still have the option of not approving such an agreement to sell BidCo 100 Ltd. Despite the fact that procedural bankruptcy cases started in the summer of 2020, OneWeb organized the attraction of $ 140 million for work on the manufacture of satellite equipment on the company’s premises in the manufacturing workshops of OneWeb Satellites located in Florida, America, which was created together with Airbus. OneWeb organized a $ 140 million fundraising for on-site satellite fabrication at the OneWeb Satellites manufacturing facility located in Florida, America, which was created in conjunction with Airbus. OneWeb organized a $ 140 million fundraising for on-site satellite fabrication at the OneWeb Satellites manufacturing facility located in Florida, America, which was created in conjunction with Airbus.
OneWeb Satellites Factory in Florida, USA [/ caption] In Q3 2020, OneWeb is seeking a $ 235 million auxiliary source of funds (6 transfers from $ 15 million to $ 65 million by the end of 2020) to continue developing the satellite constellation. The court did not object to OneWeb funding for an additional $ 9.75 million, which has become a guarantee for Arianespace. This money helped start organizing the launch of OneWeb satellites using Soyuz rocket launchers. According to the budget document shown in the bankruptcy arbitration, the OneWeb management planned to use $ 133 million to build new satellite systems during the 4th quarter of 2020. Another $ 37 million will go to prepare the launch of the installations into space. Other costs are intended for the wages of employees,operational expenses and remuneration of involved freelancers involved in the reorganization of the company.
Putting satellites into orbit
Based on information on the amended agreement between Arianespace and OneWeb, as a result, the development and shipping of OneWeb satellites will decrease by 3 shipments.
Finally, Arianespace will organize 16 launches into space for OneWeb using Soyuz rocket launchers, only one of them will take 35 satellite systems into space. Two of the 16 Soyuz will provide OneWeb satellite devices launched from the European Space Center in Guiana, others from Baikonur and the Vostochny platform.
Soyuz-2.1b with 34 OneWeb systems before launch. Baikonur, Q1 2020 [/ caption] As a result, it is planned to organize the OneWeb space group of 650 devices, which they want to complete in December 2022. OneWeb has now deployed 74 LEO broadband satellites in space.
Prospects and plans
Based on the modified OneWeb solution, the effective work of the Internet using the satellite constellation was supposed to begin in 2021, with the capture of the territories of the planet located in the north, which includes Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Great Britain, other areas of the Arctic Ocean, as well as northern part of Europe. Satellite systems OneWeb, having 2 batteries, powered by the sun and a plasma engine, are sent into orbit 1,200 km above the earth’s territory, the planned life of a particular device is about 5 years.
Launch of oneweb satellites in chronological order [/ caption] In May 2020, CNews also broadcast information about OneWeb’s current decisions to increase the orbital group of Internet satellite systems to 48 thousand. To do this, the company sent the necessary application to the FC for Telecommunications in the United States (FCC) Interest in expanding the satellite system in OneWeb was explained by the increase in the need for Internet resources due to the restrictive measures established around the world to prevent the spread of Covid 19.
Planned launch of oneweb satellites in chronological order [/ caption]
Connecting users in remote cities and villages to broadband Internet
Users in remote parts of the Russian Federation and other countries of the world can connect a modern TV, phone, PC or laptop to satellites through a user-friendly inexpensive satellite terminal OneWeb, which consists of a satellite dish, a receiver and a Wi-Fi / LTE / 3G communication unit. Only satellite communication operators can legally buy Oneweb equipment in Russia for 2021, the situation with the company’s temporary bankruptcy, Kovidom remains tense.
OneWeb Satellites as a unit
To organize the Internet through satellite systems throughout the country, OneWeb LLC tried to get the required frequencies within 14-30 GHz (Earth-to-space). At the end of 2017, the State Commission on Radio Technical Frequencies (SCRF) refused the application of OneWeb. The conclusion of such a refusal decision is possibly related to the fact that there was still an application for the requested frequencies from the Express-RV company, which planned to provide stable communication to the Arctic regions. At the beginning of 2019, the Space Communications company, which is responsible for passing the stages of the Express-RV project, acquired the required frequencies, despite the fact that Roskosmos did not approve of such a decision. In the 4th quarter of 2018, the Federal Security Service of the country (FSB) did not agree with the inclusion of the Russian side in the OneWeb project. According to the sources of the institution,the satellite network is often used in intelligence, which goes to the detriment of the state protection of Russia. Among other things, the military considers the launch of such a project to be a possible threat to the successful activities of Russian mobile operators, most importantly relevant in uninhabited and difficult-to-pass areas, as well as getting citizens tied to foreign communication services.
As a variant of an alternative solution for activities in OneWeb, the FSB put forward the idea of organizing its own communication system via satellite, including China, India, which do not conduct aggressive activities against our country. The head of Roskosmos Dmitry Rogozin emphasized that such a project could be organized without the Russian side, however, as a result, it is deprived of the opportunity to somehow influence the situation. At the very beginning of 2019, it was clear that the SCRF prohibits the import of terminal devices necessary for cellular communication via satellites to Russia to people who are not related to companies providing communication services. OneWeb, according to Reuters, has plans to reach a compromise solution with the Russian authorities, reducing its own share in the joint venture’s assets to less than the established figure.By February 2019, the joint venture is being supervised by Russia. The share of Roscosmos in OneWeb increased to 51%, while the share of OneWeb decreased to 49%. In August 2019, JV “Oneweb” for a period removed its application for the acquisition of frequencies in the country in order to complete the work on the basis of the current conditions of Russian legislation.
Competitors in the Russian Federation and in the world
The main competitors of the company are Amazon, with its own Kuiper solution and posted an announcement in Q2 2019, and SpaceX, which was created by Elon Musk, who also owns Tesla, an electric car manufacturer, which is starting to develop its satellite Internet project.
Latest news
A new batch of OneWeb communications satellites in England were brought to the Vostochny cosmodrome for a planned launch in May. “36 space devices of the OneWeb enterprise were delivered to the Ignatievo airport, located in Blagoveshchensk, on the An-124-100 aircraft,” the information on the website of the state corporation Roscosmos says. Separately, it is highlighted that the cargo arrived at the cosmodrome accompanied by specialists from the Vostochny space center. The launch of Oneweb from the Vostochny cosmodrome on April 26, 2021: https://youtu.be/gU3CQtLXOc8 It is very important for the Russian economy that there are more companies like OneWeb, then our country will develop faster, because now the speed of the Internet and coverage a lot depends on satellite communications.
