First Four O3b Satellites Successfully Launched
Kourou. French Guiana, June 25, 2013--O3b’s first four satellites were successfully launched aboard the Arianespace Soyuz launch vehicle on Tuesday marking the start of telecommunications and Internet services over Asia, Africa, South America, Australia and the Middle East that combine the global reach of satellite coverage with the speed of a fiber-optic network.
O3b Networks Limited, which includes SES, Google, Liberty Global, HSBC Principal Investments, Northbridge Venture Partners, and Allen & Company as some of its investors, is deploying a revolutionary new network to bring high speed, low cost connectivity to billions of people across emerging markets who have never had any access before.
John W Dick, O3b chairman, said a life-changing journey has begun for many of the remaining unconnected and underserved regions of the world.
“In only a few years, we have designed and launched a revolutionary system; one that will transform the way communications are handled in many of the world’s underserved markets. Working with our customers, O3b will open up a new and exciting world to billions of people who, up to now, have not experienced the benefits of fast Internet connectivity and who, as a result, are not on a level playing field,” Dick said.
A second group of four O3b satellites will be launched in September and another in 2014, completing the first phase in O3b’s constellation and ahead of the launch of the company's service later in the year. The O3b system is scalable, designed to allow additional satellites to be launched and slotted into the system, increasing capacity elegantly and simply as demand inexorably grows.
The cluster of spacecraft was lofted on Arianespace’s maiden Soyuz mission. A total of 12 O3b Networks satellites are to be orbited by Arianespace in groups of four. Thales Alenia Space produced the Ka-band relay platforms, which have a liftoff mass of approximately 700 kg. each.
“So much has happened already in O3b’s short life but this launch is the start of something extraordinary,” said Steve Collar, O3b CEO. “Tonight we celebrate and then return our unerring focus to deliver the promise that we have made to our fabulous, pioneering customers around the world.”
O3b ‘s next-generation satellite network will have telecommunications operators, Internet service providers, enterprise and government as customers. Its system will provide billions of consumers and businesses in nearly 180 countries with low‐cost, high‐speed, low latency Internet and mobile connectivity. The company is headquartered in St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands.
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