OneWeb, the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite
communications company, and Orange S.A. (Orange), one of the world's leading
telecommunications operators, have announced that they have signed a distribution
agreement to expand connectivity services across Europe, Africa, Latin America,
and other global regions.
The news comes as governments across the world
prioritize the development of digital infrastructure networks post-COVID.
With
this partnership, Orange will offer enriched connectivity, integrating OneWeb's
LEO technology, to enterprise customers and telco operators in different
regions of the world. OneWeb's LEO technology will therefore complement
existing services and enable connection to hard-to-reach areas that previously
could not be served with an enhanced latency. The high-quality, low-latency
end-user service experience provided by OneWeb services will increase user
satisfaction, and enable new applications and OTT services.
Other
benefits to this partnership also include increased resiliency, and geographical
reach for enterprise solutions and backhauling in remote locations across
Europe, Latin America, Africa, and beyond. With OneWeb's technology, Orange
offers a range of multi-orbital solutions complementing our forty years of
experience in satellite connectivity to benefit small, medium, and large
enterprises, telco operators, and Internet Service Providers.
Neil
Masterson, OneWeb Chief Executive Officer, commented: "This is an exciting
partnership that will help improve and expand connectivity globally. Orange's
market-leading position across several continents, coupled with OneWeb's unique
network and LEO technology, will help bridge digital divides and ensure access
to efficient, high-quality, and reliable broadband internet is available to
customers in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and other locations across the
world."
Jean-Louis
Le Roux, Executive Vice President, of Orange International Networks
Infrastructures & Services, explained: "At Orange, we believe that
satellite is a promising and complementary technology showcasing many
recent innovations that will benefit enterprises all around the world and will
accelerate the digital inclusion of populations within our subsidiaries in
Africa and the Middle East. We are therefore delighted to partner with OneWeb
as it will allow us to continue deploying high-quality networks in all
underserved parts of the world".
Anne-Marie
Thiollet, Deputy Executive Vice President of Products and Marketing, at Orange
Business, says: "Our customers ranging from multi-nationals, enterprises, and governments to NGOs will have access to OneWeb's pioneering satellite network.
This high speed and low latency solution will efficiently complement Orange
Business's existing portfolio to keep connecting our customers to their
applications anytime, anywhere, with the right quality of service to meet their
business requirements"
