The SpaceX logo is displayed on the mobile phone for an illustration.
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Eutelsat, the world's third-largest satellite operator by revenue, launched 20 satellites for its communications network on Sunday, using Elon Musk's SpaceX in its first move since the merger of two European companies last year.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Eutelsat satellites lifted off from Space Force Base Vandenberg in California at 0513 GMT.
“This is OneWeb’s first satellite launch since the merger,” OneWeb CEO Eva Pernicki told Reuters in an interview. “We will launch more satellites over the coming years.”
The Paris-based group, which was formed through the merger of French companies Eutelsat and British OneWeb in September last year, has a constellation of more than 600 satellites in low Earth orbit that meet the needs of broadcasters, telecommunications companies and radio stations.
“We really want to integrate into the telco ecosystem,” Bernicky said. “Satellites are an interesting place in overall communications ecosystems where telcos are the big boys in the class and satellites will always be a smaller part.”
Eutelsat counts telecom companies such as France's Orange and Australia's Telstra among its clients and is in talks with other companies such as AT&T in the United States.
The company, which has a backlog of orders worth $4 billion, is waiting for countries such as India and Saudi Arabia to open their doors.
India — a market that is expected to grow 36% annually to reach $1.9 billion by 2030 — is in the process of allowing satellite services. It has seen friction between local players and companies like Starlink.
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“We have some backlog in the Indian market… it's sitting there until India opens up, and the day it opens up, we'll start building,” Bernicky said.
She added that the company is also in talks with airlines to provide on-board connectivity, including Internet browsing, and expects revenues to start increasing from next year.
