OneWeb's 1,980-Satellite Broadband Constellation Plans Are 'Few Years' Away, CEO Says

OneWeb's ultimate goal is 1,980 broadband satellites, though such plans "are always subject to change!," CEO Greg Wyler tweeted Wednesday. He said those 1,980 -- 55 satellites for each of 36 orbital planes -- are the limit of what the company can do "because whatever we build must respect (not interfere) with prior filed satellites." He said phase one is at least 600 satellites needed for global coverage and "enough profitability to self-fund growth," and as many as 900, while the second-generation designs are finalized and OneWeb builds its tooling and manufacturing lines. Those second-generation satellites "will have at least 50x more throughput than Gen1" and get the company up to its planned 1,980, he said. The process will take "(at least) a few years!," he said.