OneWeb-NEOM JV inks deal with Pakistan’s REDtone Telecommunications

The OneWeb/NEOM Tech & Digital Holding Company Joint Venture has signed its first distribution partner agreement with REDtone Telecommunications Pakistan Pvt. Ltd, a licensed telecommunications operator and digital services provider.

The collaboration aims to provide high-speed connectivity via low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to the most remote communities in Pakistan, helping bridge the digital divide by enabling access to services and participation in the digital economy.

The OneWeb/NEOM Tech & Digital JV is set to transform businesses and communities, stimulating enterprise across the region, with gateways and Points of Presence (POPs) in the Middle East providing security, speed, and low latency data to sectors such as finance and retail, as well as schools and hospitals. It will offer a seamless solution to infrastructural hurdles in Pakistan, where mobile operators and local loop operators will be able to leverage the service to expand their coverage areas, offering dependable low-cost internet access.

Matthew Johnson, Interim CEO of the OneWeb/NEOM Tech & Digital JV, said: “LEO satellites not only mean we can reach absolutely everyone everywhere, but with reliable and rapid speeds – connectivity at 100 megabits per second and more without the need for techniques such as trenching or placement of 5G equipment and fibre optics. This partnership with REDtone highlights how this technology presents an incredible growth opportunity for the wider region.”

Laith Hamad, Director, OneWeb/NEOM Tech & Digital JV, said: “We are delighted to partner with REDtone to bring affordable connectivity to the widest possible audience in Pakistan, especially for so many who do not yet have high-speed internet. This is the first agreement signed by the joint venture, which was formed just last month. We look forward to more such partnerships in the region.”

REDtone Group Chairman, Mr. Nadeem Yunus, said: “With the growth in digitisation across the world, connectivity has truly become a necessity and a basic right in this day and age. Our partnership with the OneWeb/NEOM Tech & Digital JV is a step in that direction: through their innovative low Earth orbit communications network, together we will optimise sharing of information, enable massive economic growth and learning across terrains, where conventional networks fail.”

OneWeb is building a new generation of business broadband services, powered from Space. It’s the second largest LEO satellite operator globally with 358 satellites in low Earth orbit. Launches will continue during 2022 to enable the company to offer global connectivity services by the end of that year. The newly formed OneWeb/NEOM Tech & Digital JV will bring high-speed satellite connectivity to NEOM, Saudi Arabia, the wider Middle East and neighbouring countries including Pakistan.

The OneWeb/NEOM Tech & Digital JV has exclusive rights to distribute OneWeb services in these regions for seven years, and is expected to commence operations in 2023.
CT Bureau