What is Eutelsat OneWeb?
Eutelsat OneWeb is the product of the 2023 merger of French GEO satellite operator Eutelsat SA and UK-based OneWeb Ltd, creating one of the few operators combining both GEO and LEO satellite fleets. The OneWeb constellation — 648 satellites at 1,200 km altitude in a Walker-Star configuration across 12 near-polar planes — was originally conceived by Greg Wyler and launched from 2019, survived bankruptcy in 2020, and was acquired by Bharti Global and the UK government before the Eutelsat merger.
OneWeb at 1,200 km: advantages and trade-offs
OneWeb's higher orbital altitude (1,200 km vs. Starlink's 550 km) means each satellite covers a wider ground footprint, reducing the number of satellites needed for global coverage. However, latency is higher than Starlink (~120–150 ms RTT vs. 25–60 ms) and the natural deorbit timescale is approximately 100 years — requiring active deorbit propulsion, which is built into each OneWeb satellite. The OneWeb satellite design was based on a constellation-optimised architecture from Airbus Defence and Space, manufactured in partnership with OneWeb Satellites LLC at a dedicated factory in Toulouse and Merritt Island, Florida.
Go-to-market strategy
Unlike Starlink's direct-to-consumer model, OneWeb operates as a wholesale provider — selling capacity to telecommunications operators, governments, and enterprise solution providers who build their own products on top. Partners include Telesat, SoftBank, BT, Bharti Airtel, Eutelsat Broadband, and major satellite service distributors. Key target verticals are maritime, aviation, energy, and rural broadband through telecom partners.