OneWeb opens UK sales and demo facility
April 29, 2021
OneWeb is opening a state-of-the-art Service Demonstration experience at the new Innovation Centre at Westcott Venture Park, which is run and managed by the Satellite Applications Catapult and was funded by Buckinghamshire LEP through the Local Growth Fund.
Situated in Buckinghamshire, UK, OneWeb’s facility will welcome customers from May 1st to demonstrate the performance and potential applications of their satellite network in real-time.
The service demo will showcase equipment and high-speed connectivity, and visitors will be able to see the OneWeb network in action including download and upload speeds and latency. Sales support staff will also be on hand to discuss the technology, potential partnerships, testing requirements and further collaboration opportunities.
OneWeb said it chose Westcott as part of its collaboration with the Satellite Applications Catapult to demonstrate high speed data transfer through space to their 5G network. Aligned to OneWeb’s mission to deliver broadband connectivity and bridge the Digital Divide, this strategic business partnership is the next step in OneWeb’s journey to enable a cross-fertilisation of technologies to enable other businesses to collaborate and benefit from advances in the UK space sector.
Michele Franci, Chief of Delivery at OneWeb, commented: “The launch of the Service Demo at the Westcott Innovation Centre is a significant moment for OneWeb, as we expand our UK presence and lead the way as a global gateway for space innovation. As we continue to develop and deliver a unique LEO network product for the world, the Service Demo will create engagement and partnerships using satellite technology, for the benefit of future generations. The opening of this facility brings OneWeb closer to delivering on its mission to provide connectivity for people, businesses and governments, while potentially unlocking new research, development and manufacturing opportunities in the UK.”
Stuart Martin, Chief Executive Officer at the Satellite Applications Catapult, added: “We are delighted to be working with OneWeb to host their new Demo Experience in the Westcott Innovation Centre. This unique facility will showcase the possibilities of their low-Earth orbit constellation and the opportunities now made available in using this technology. This collaboration has the potential to create future business growth in a diverse array of sectors and represents an important milestone for the UK Space industry. By working with OneWeb, the Satellite Applications Catapult also continues to fulfil and maintain its own mandate to drive economic growth through the commercialisation of space technology. We are extremely excited by this development and look forward to some great outcomes for UK business in general, which will also lead to the development of other technology skills in the years to come.”