Bharti Airtel's OneWeb to Provide Connectivity Services in Kazakhstan

Bharti group-backed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network OneWeb has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Kazakhstan and local players for satellite connectivity in the country.

A company statement said that the MoU develops OneWeb's partnership with the Government of Kazakhstan which began in 2020 to support Kazakhstan's ambition to digitise its economy and become a pioneer of the latest satellite communications technologies.

"The MoU encompasses several areas of cooperation, including use of OneWeb's lowlatency, high throughput satellite connectivity platform to provide broadband to remote and hard-to-reach rural communities, building a ground station to provide connectivity to Central Asian countries and localisation of the supply chain for OneWeb's Low Earth Orbit satellites," it said.

OneWeb has also received its certificate of incorporation for OneWeb Kazakhstan Ltd registered in Astana International Financial Centre. This subsidiary will facilitate the establishment of a Low Earth Orbit Centre of Excellence in the country and enable OneWeb's service delivery across Central Asia.

The statement said that OneWeb always partners with local telecom operators who know the market and their customers and seeks to distribute its connectivity services to the private and public sector, including businesses, schools, hospitals and civil services across Eurasia.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Executive Chairman of OneWeb said: "I am delighted to visit Kazakhstan for the first time on this occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's first human spaceflight. Today, we can honour his legacy with a constellation of OneWeb satellites orbiting the Earth to bring connectivity to all locations where it's needed."

"The Government of Kazakhstan continues to see the importance of bridging the digital divide and enabling the digitization of its economy using innovative and modern satellite technology. OneWeb has pledged to work together to bring about these opportunities for the country."

Demonstrations of OneWeb's connectivity services are planned for June in the country to showcase how OneWeb's constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and user terminals provide high speed, low latency, seamless broadband connectivity.