OneWeb, the global communications network powered from space, has announced today that it 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 unique facility will welcome customers from 1st May 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.
Focused on attracting partnerships with commercial communications or internet solution providers, the Service Demo experience will play a vital role in launching OneWeb’s unique service for UK businesses. The centre will develop a long-term commercial proposition for its technology in collaboration with the UK’s innovative satellite communications sector.
OneWeb 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.
Opening the Service Demo is yet another milestone for OneWeb as it continues to demonstrate its progress in commercialisation of the network. In recent weeks the company has also announced an Innovation Challenge further onboarding of customers globally, and in March 2021, OneWeb conducted network demonstrations to the U.S. Government and will be rolling out additional demonstration kits and demo centres in key markets globally.
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 commented:“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.”
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