Comtech Partners with Eutelsat OneWeb to Deliver LEO Connectivity to Antarctica

A visualization of OneWeb’s constellation. Photo: OneWeb

Comtech is partnering with Eutelsat OneWeb to deliver trial Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity services to multiple regions of Antarctica. Comtech announced the partnership on April 15. The service, first launched in January 2024, aims to provide connectivity to customers in Antarctica. 

Through this trial, Comtech’s Elevate VSAT ground system supported Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO connectivity services, with data rates reaching up to 120 Mbps across Antarctica’s remote regions. Comtech worked with Eutelsat OneWeb to configure and install the company’s Elevate ground system to improve connectivity services over multiple OneWeb LEO satellites.

“We are thrilled to partner with OneWeb to deliver LEO connectivity services to Antarctica, which further demonstrates the advanced capabilities of our Elevate VSAT ground system. With proprietary software-defined technology embedded at the core, we are continuing to build out network agnostic capabilities of our Elevate system to meet the future demands of innovative satellite constellations and hybrid network infrastructures,” said John Ratigan, interim CEO of Comtech.

Through satellite-based LEO connectivity services, provided by Comtech and Eutelsat OneWeb, scientists in Antarctica can better conduct day-to-day activities with real-time support from scientific, technical, or health teams. LEO connectivity services can provide connectivity for scientists to utilize outside of working hours in Antarctica