News brief: OneWeb, AWS bring cloud services closer to the edge and into the sky

• OneWeb partners with Amazon Web Services for cloud connectivity
• The pair will target the satellite sector as well as the general comms services sector with a satellite constellation management solution
• OneWeb claims this will extend cloud services closer to the edge, allowing customers to reach even the most remote areas

Satellite communications provider OneWeb has unveiled a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to explore the delivery of cloud-based connectivity services to customers operating in the most remote parts of the world. The duo will offer “customisable and integrated solutions for edge-to-edge operations”, explained OneWeb in a statement unveiling the move. 

The end goal for OneWeb and AWS is to provide “a fully integrated satellite constellation management solution as a service to the public and satellite community”, as well as to create the next generation of virtual network functions (VNFs) that will enable low-earth orbit (LEO) connectivity worldwide.

Specifically, the partnership is focused on a quartet of initiatives, including an option to bundle connectivity with cloud and edge computing services. This is set to bring “continuity and resiliency” through an integrated infrastructure backed by the LEO constellation.

Their joint work will also focus on supporting virtual mission operations for customers through integrated and customisable solutions; aggregating “new levels of predictive and trending big data analytics through data lakes” to aid space and ground operations; and deploying seamless cloud-to-edge solutions with a LEO-connected user terminal.

According to the UK satellite company, its LEO technology can also serve as a conduit between the telco edge and AWS’s global cloud network. It also believes that the tie-up with AWS will enable it to develop “a more sustainable, competitive offering” and bring “advanced connectivity to a vast array of customers”.

Maurizio Vanotti, VP for new markets at OneWeb, said: “We are incredibly excited to begin working with AWS to see cloud services extended even closer to the edge thanks to OneWeb’s network. This global agreement will change the market dynamics, with OneWeb’s high-speed, low-latency services powering connectivity that will enable customers to reach even the most remote edges of the world and everywhere in between.”

AWS’s director for aerospace and satellite solutions, Clint Crosier, reiterated AWS’s commitment to helping its customers “reimagine space systems, accelerate innovation and turn data into useful insights quickly.”

After being resurrected in 2020 by the UK government and Indian operator Bharti Airtel, OneWeb has been particularly active in its efforts to partner with major telcos and players in the broader tech sectors, striking partnerships with the likes of Veon, BT, Telefónica, AT&T, Telstra and more. The announcement of its partnership with AWS comes only days after OneWeb struck a deal with Orange for the delivery of connectivity services in remote and hard-to-reach areas – see What’s up with… Orange, OneWeb, MásMóvil, Vodafone. 

While it did not specify whether or not it will seek to collaborate with other hyperscalers, such as Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, OneWeb told TelecomTV that “pursuing industry collaboration with best-in-class service providers is incredibly important for OneWeb to deliver on its mission to bridge the digital divide and bolster innovation.”

- Yanitsa Boyadzhieva, Deputy Editor, TelecomTV