Brenda Marie Rivers
OneWeb has received approval from the Federal Communications Commission to add 1,280 V-Band satellites to the former's proposed constellation in non-geostationary orbit, Via Satellite reported Wednesday.
OneWeb’s constellation will fall under the U.K. government’s authority as the latter continues efforts to acquire OneWeb as part of a consortium with Hughes Network Systems and Bharti Global.
According to the FCC ruling dated Aug. 26, OneWeb will have U.S. market access to the 2K-satellite broadband constellation that will be located 8.5K kilometers or 5.3K miles above Earth.
In 2017, the FCC granted OneWeb’s petition for market access to 720 Ku- and Ka-band satellites in NGSO.
According to the recent ruling, granting OneWeb market access in the V-band spectrum would increase competition for broadband services to American consumers.
A OneWeb spokesperson told Via Satellite that the company is looking forward to commercializing V-band access and providing connectivity to businesses, governments and communities in the U.S. and around the world.Â
FCC mandates OneWeb to deploy and operate at least 1K satellites by Aug. 26, 2026, and the remaining amount within three years.
OneWeb must also submit its strategy for mitigating orbital debris to the agency in six months, according to the report.
