Intelsat/OneWeb Could Be Piece of Connected Future Puzzle, NSR Says

The potential Intelsat/OneWeb deal isn't just a satellite transaction but "a single piece in a puzzle" being assembled by Masayoshi "Masa" Son, CEO of SoftBank, a major backer of OneWeb that's also putting $1.7 billion into the deal, Northern Sky Research analyst Blaine Curcio said in a NSR blog post Sunday. SoftBank and Son seem to be driving toward a future of 5G, autonomous vehicles and machine-to-machine IoT through investments into such areas as semiconductors and robotics and partnerships with automakers, NSR said. A key step in an IoT connected world model would be cheap, ubiquitous coverage, such as what could be provided through Intelsat, NSR said. It said a variety of satellite challenges include OneWeb securing landing rights internationally; development of cheap, portable terminals; tackling interference issues; and Intelsat's finances. The firm said the deal "appears to put Intelsat/OneWeb at a massive head start" for creating such an integrated system.