Nikkei Asian Review/Takashi Sugimoto: SoftBank's $1bn lights fire under satellite constellation

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January 7, 2018 3:38 pm JST
SoftBank's $1bn lights fire under satellite constellation

Son changes tack and targets startups, like OneWeb, in later stages

TAKASHI SUGIMOTO, Nikkei staff writer

Earth as seen from the International Space Station: OneWeb's satellites will be orbiting three times higher. © Reuters

TOKYO -- Inside Airbus' plant in the south of France, workers dressed in cleanroom suits are piecing together satellites by hand. The installation of each part represents a small step toward a giant communications leap -- a prospect that has attracted some of the biggest stars in business, from Richard Branson to SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son.

Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank

OneWeb, a U.S. startup founded by big dreamer Greg Wyler, plans to test-launch 10 of the satellites from French Guiana in March. If the testing goes well, the company intends to launch more over the course of two years at a pace of 36 satellites every 21 days. This will blanket Earth with a constellation of 720 -- 900 if you count reserve units.

Coupled with ground stations, this should make the internet accessible from any spot on the planet.

A $1 billion investment from Son's SoftBank Vision Fund is helping to pay for the ambitious endeavor. When Son and Wyler first met in September 2016, the latter quickly recognized that Son was a long-term thinker who understood the true significance of the satellite project.

Son asked simple, practical questions, Wyler recalled: How quickly could the project get off the ground? How would communications performance be upgraded? Son also touched on the obvious link between OneWeb's satellites and the rise of the internet of things -- the growing array of net-connected devices.

Wyler told Son about his plan to boost communications capacity by 100 to 200 terabits per year.

"He recognized very quickly that most of the world was without internet and the demand for internet access from people would far surpass the capacity we could bring," Wyler told The Nikkei about his discussion with Son. "He saw the OneWeb could help with IoT both in cities and in the developed world. And just as important, or more important, in the developing world where IoT will have a large impact on farming and smart city development."

Son subsequently agreed to serve up the $1 billion from his 10 trillion yen ($88.8 billion) Vision Fund. Thanks to the investment, the Arlington, Virginia-based OneWeb has already launched another project to build a factory in Florida, where it aims to make satellites for sale to other companies, Wyler said.

Epiphany under the stars

OneWeb has rocketed to relevance since Wyler resolved to bridge the digital divide while gazing up at a starry Rwandan sky.

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