BT and OneWeb in talks over UK distribution
February 3, 2021
By Chris Forrester
OneWeb, the UK and Bharti-owned would-be mega-constellation of broadband satellites, is reportedly in preliminary discussions with BT over rolling out OneWeb to remote parts of the UK.
A source quoted by business newspaper CityAM says that the technology – as yet – was untested at scale and that BT was looking at various options to meet the UK government’s target of full fibre-equivalent access to broadband by 2025.
Bloomberg, which first reported the discussions, quoted a OneWeb spokesperson saying: “Oneweb would welcome the opportunity to support Broadband connectivity required to reduce the digital divide”.
OneWeb, which exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the end of 2020, is looking to have at least 648 satellites in orbit by the end of 2022. Services could start before then.