SoftBank Corp. Adds OneWeb Service to its Portfolio
Marks Eutelsat’s entry into the Japanese Market
An agreement to integrate Eutelsat’s OneWeb low Earth orbit (LEO) connectivity services into the SoftBank Corp. portfolio has been announced by the two companies.
"This will enable us to promote digital transformation in various industries and for local governments.”
Masakatsu Kawahara, SoftBank Corp.
The multi-year partnership will enable SoftBank to deliver a high quality, robust bandwidth- and communication speed-guaranteed service to customers including corporations and government entities, notably providing momentum for SoftBank’s satellite communication services. It will directly interconnect with SoftBank's closed network service "SmartVPN" for additional security communications. The scope will initially target the Japanese market, with potential to expand to Japanese customers in other territories.
"Our partnership with SoftBank is a significant milestone in our mission to deliver innovative connectivity solutions globally," said Cyril Dujardin, Co-President of Eutelsat’s Connectivity Business Unit.
"By using the OneWeb low Earth orbit constellation it becomes possible to use high-quality, highly secure satellite communications services in places such as maritime and mountainous areas where connectivity is difficult to provide with terrestrial mobile networks," said Masakatsu Kawahara, SoftBank Corp. Vice President, Head of Communication Service Division. "This will enable us to promote digital transformation in various industries and for local governments, heralding a new era in secure, ubiquitous connectivity services."
The agreement follows the granting to SoftBank by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of a blanket license for specific radio stations, including VSAT earth stations and mobile earth stations, while the same ministry granted Eutelsat OneWeb a gateway station license.