Hughes Network Systems has entered an agreement with OneWeb Technologies to distribute its low earth orbit data to the U.S. Department of Defense.
The work will build on Hughes’ debut of the first managed LEO satellite communications (SATCOM) network, which was carried out in the Arctic region for the U.S. Air Force Research Lab, the company said Tuesday.
Rick Lober, vice president and general manager of the Hughes defense division, explained that the new agreement with OneWeb surfaced alongside the introduction of the Arctic-based LEO satellite network.
“With a proven implementation in the harshest of environments and live LEO network capability, we stand ready to deploy diverse, integrated SATCOM solutions for DoD across all domains, platforms and theaters worldwide,” Lober continued.
The combined efforts of Hughes and OneWeb will result in single- and multi-transport network services that feature OneWeb’s low-latency connectivity as well as service level charters and selectable vendor equipment, installation and network management options.
The distribution agreement sees that Hughes will provide turnkey LEO managed services that are intended to aid DOD acquisition agencies and satisfy international combatant command conditions.
Ian Canning, chief operating officer of OneWeb, expressed the company’s excitement to help Hughes with the delivery of the LEO data to the federal government and said the partnership “has enabled the DoD to experience low latency, high speed internet in latitudes above 75 Degrees North for the first time.”
Canning also highlighted the time-honored relationship between Hughes and OneWeb. EchoStar, Hughes’ parent company, is among OneWeb’s investors. In addition, Hughes performs engineering work with the OneWeb team, including gateway electronics and core module development.
Hughes and OneWeb’s distribution deal follows the former company’s March DOD contract win to provide 5G network services for a Navy air station in Washington state.
