Intelsat taps Eutelsat and OneWeb to augment its connectivity services

Yet another satellite industry collaboration sees Intelsat sign a major capacity agreement with contemporaries Eutelsat and OneWeb.

It has been a busy week for the communications satellite industry as its many players jostle for position in a still fairly speculative market. Perhaps that’s why they’re increasingly inclined to hedge their bets by partnering with each other. This deal is positioned as a ‘multi-orbit agreement’ in which it seems Intelsat will be able to augment its various connectivity solutions by reselling Eutelsat and OneWeb stuff.

The latter two are in the process of trying to merge and seem to be pre-empting the approval process by offering combined packages already. So close have they already become that they’re even issuing co-authored quotes in press releases.

“Eutelsat and OneWeb are proud to collaborate to provide Intelsat with the best connectivity solutions,” said Cyril Dujardin, General Manager of the Connectivity Business Unit of Eutelsat and Ben Griffin, Vice President, Mobility at OneWeb, in apparent chorus. “This truly hybrid approach paves the way for thorough connectivity solutions for all stakeholders, be it in the air, at sea, or on the ground. In all, it will deliver customers the best of both worlds in an integrated seamless approach.”

Intelsat probably needs all the help it can get, having only emerged from bankruptcy last year, but this could be a broader sign of things to come for the satellite industry. As well as the ongoing consolidation, we may see more of these kinds of commercial partnerships as everyone increasingly seeks to play to their strengths.

Get the latest news straight to your inbox. Register for the Telecoms.com newsletter here.