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Tue 22 Jul 2025
The UK government’s overseas operations are to make use of OneWeb’s satellite broadband network to enable access to secure, reliable communications across the world.
International diplomatic missions such as British embassies and high commissions will be able to route their internet traffic through the service to mitigate issues such as unreliable local broadband. FCDO Services, the Foreign Office’s trading fund, said that crisis response teams in areas hit by natural disasters could also use the service.
OneWeb’s original aim was to provide satellite internet worldwide, but by 2020 it was on the brink of bankruptcy, having launched just 74 of its planned 648 satellites. The UK government rescued the business by buying a major stake, alongside Indian telecommunications firm Bharti Global. Ministers at the time hoped that the purchase could revitalise the UK’s space sector, which was dealt a major blow in 2018 when it was forced to leave the EU’s Galileo satellite navigation project.
The government currently retains a 10.89% stake in OneWeb, having agreed last week to commit a further £140m (€163.3) of public investment to help its owner Eutelsat grow and expand the firm’s constellation of satellites.
OneWeb completed the initial constellation of 654 first-generation satellites in March 2023, delivering download speeds up to 195Mbps and upload speeds up to 32Mbps. They orbit at an altitude of around 1,200km above the Earth, with 600 used for coverage and the rest for redundancy.
The firm’s second-generation satellites are expected to provide boosted data capacity, support for 5G mobile and, potentially, enhanced navigation and positioning features.
FCDO Services is tasked with providing secure communications solutions to the UK government. CEO Mike Astell said: “This partnership marks an exciting new chapter in FCDO Services’ long history of providing secure satellite communications. By joining forces with NSSLGlobal and Eutelsat OneWeb, we’re enhancing our ability to deliver rapid, secure connectivity anywhere in the world. This reinforces our commitment to meeting the unique needs of our government customers.”
UK Space Agency CEO Paul Bate said: “It’s great to see how Government-backed research and development has helped OneWeb deliver cutting-edge satellite services for government. Previous R&D investment has not only strengthened our national resilience but also drives meaningful improvements for UK citizens and government organisations through enhanced global connectivity in challenging environments.”
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