Hughes will start production of the LEO terminals for OneWeb in the second half of 2023, said OneWeb in a statement.
Hughes has been a shareholder in OneWeb since 2020, when it took a US$50 million stake.
Since then, Hughes’s confidence in the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite operation has been rewarded handsomely.
Two years ago Hughes won a $250 million contract to develop and manufacture ground system technology for OneWeb’s constellation of satellites, expected to reach 648 by the middle of 2023.
Neither OneWeb nor Hughes have commented on the price for the 10,000 terminals just announced. The order includes electronically steered antennas and compact indoor and outdoor equipment necessary to activate high-speed, low latency broadband service on the OneWeb constellation.
Massimiliano Ladovaz (pictured), CTO at OneWeb, said: “We are excited about the capabilities in the Hughes flat panel and the unique benefits we can extend to our customers. These terminals will enable our partners to optimise the low latency, high speed benefits of our network with a turnkey, easy to install and operate terminal.”
The terminals are constructed with a solid and durable aluminium chassis, said OneWeb, adding that they will work right “out of the box”, automatically pointing to the satellites.
“The terminal is compact, easy to install, and will make optimal use of the OneWeb system capabilities for low latency and speeds up to 195Mbps down and 32Mbps up.”
Prototypes are available and testing is already underway, said OneWeb.
Ladovaz said: “Hughes continues to be an important and excellent partner to OneWeb and we are delighted with this next collaboration and what it means for delivering more connectivity choices to our customers.”
