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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
Illustration of communications satellites. /CFP
Eutelsat, the world's third-biggest 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 took off with Eutelsat satellites from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base at 5:13 a.m.
"This is the first OneWeb launch of the satellites since the merger," CEO Eva Berneke told Reuters in an interview. "We will be launching more satellites over the coming years."
The Paris-based group, formed by the merger in September last year of France's Eutelsat and Britain's OneWeb, has a constellation of over 600 low Earth orbit satellites that cater to broadcasters, telecom companies and radio stations.
"We really want to integrate into the telco ecosystem," Berneke said. "Satellites are an interesting niche in the overall connectivity ecosystems, where telcos are the big boys in the class and satellite will always be a smaller part."
Eutelsat counts telecom operators such as France's Orange and Australia's Telstra as clients and is in talks with others such as AT&T in the U.S.
The company, which has a backlog of orders worth $4 billion, is waiting for countries such as India and Saudi Arabia to open up.
The company is also in talks with aviation companies to offer in-flight connectivity, including internet browsing, and expects revenue to start increasing from next year, she said.