OneWeb and Telefonica through, Telefónica Global Solutions (TGS), the subsidiary of global telecommunications company Telefónica, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve connectivity services across Europe and Latin America.
The collaboration arrangement between OneWeb and TGS comes as the need to expand modern, digital infrastructure has become a priority for governments, businesses and communities across Europe and Latin America.
OneWeb’s LEO satellite constellation service will complement Telefónica’s existing offering in Europe and Latin America, enabling that company to reach remote regions that they have not previously been able to serve. TGS will offer its expertise to promote and supply OneWeb’s low latency cellular backhaul services that can be deployed to help improve existing backhaul and support network upgrades to 4G/5G, while also providing backhaul backup for critical sites and infill capacity for special events. Where backhaul does not currently exist, OneWeb’s service will help expand Telefónica’s mobile coverage and extend enterprise connectivity.
The combination of TGS and OneWeb services will ultimately increase user satisfaction and enable new applications and OTT services, in addition to supporting the expansion of mobile connectivity to users globally. SMEs (Small and mid-size enterprises) will be able to use the OneWeb/TGS LEO satellite solution to support and extend their enterprise networks, while large organisations – including governments, telcos and ISPs – in rural and remote parts of Europe and Latin America will also benefit from the combination of Telefónica’s fiber network and OneWeb’s low-latency broadband service.
OneWeb’s Chief Executive Officer, Neil Masterson, said, “This arrangement is fantastic news for communities across Europe and Latin America, who will benefit from better and enhanced network coverage. OneWeb believes that our unique network has a crucial role to play in providing connectivity for the hardest-to-reach areas globally, so we look forward to working with Telefónica to deliver enhanced internet performance and availability to customers.”
Julio Beamonte, Chief Executive Officer at Telefónica Global Solutions, said, “Our goal is to empower our customers’ businesses by connecting them to the world through innovative broadband solutions. By partnering with OneWeb, we can augment our portfolio by offering solutions that require low latency. Our experience will be essential when adapting the OneWeb solution to provide corporate, B2B and cellular backhaul services and help fuel adoption of critical business applications in the hardest-to-connect areas. We are focused on helping our B2B and Wholesale customers to drive transformational change in their business, and we believe our partnership with OneWeb will help us do that.”
Telefónica Global Solutions offers an ecosystem of comprehensive satellite solutions for different applications and industries, adapting to connectivity needs with the highest quality guarantees to bring communications to the most challenging environments (with connectivity deficits or rural areas) and to address specific and/or temporary situations such as events and emergencies.