Telesat and Avanti Communications announced Wednesday that they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Lightspeed low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. It is the second MOU Telesat has signed this year for Lightspeed.
Avanti Communications is a UK based “global multi-orbit provider” that sells wholesale satellite broadband and satellite connectivity services to a wide variety of customers.
In a news release Avanti said it will “test and develop LEO services as part of its global strategy to deliver bespoke, multi-orbit solutions to customers at scale and that it “plans to incorporate Telesat’s Lightspeed™ services into its network to provide affordable, high quality broadband connectivity worldwide.”
Avanti further stated that it “is investing heavily in strategic partnerships and its managed services to meet customers’ requirements in an evolving industry where demand for capacity is growing. Avanti’s first low-latency LEO constellation agreement will support the execution of Avanti’s new strategy, which is built on a ‘customer pull’ vs. ‘technology push’ model.”
Telesat expects to begin deploying its 198 LEO satellites sometime in 2026 with global service expected in 2027. It has booked a ride with SpaceX whereby it will launch of up to 18 satellites per launch on 14 Falcon 9 launches.
Toby Robinson, Chief of Strategy and Business Development at Avanti, said “Avanti has already transformed into a customer-led business and will now embark on the next phase of its journey to meet customers’ requirements with multi-orbit solutions tailored to individual needs. The Telesat Lightspeed service will specifically target our enterprise and government customers, enabling us to deliver on our commitment to cater to the most complex requirements while maintaining the high performance, reliability and quality of service our customers expect.”
Glenn Katz, Chief Commercial officer at Telesat, added, “We are delighted to work with partners like Avanti, who recognize the unique value and innovation that Telesat Lightspeed provides for resilient, global connectivity. Integration of Avanti’s EMEA terrestrial infrastructure into the Telesat Lightspeed network provides promising synergies and optimizations for both organizations.”
Additionally, the companies said that “Telesat will explore combining Avanti’s landing stations, Points of Presences (PoPs), terrestrial connectivity, site hosting and management services as part of its global terrestrial infrastructure that seamlessly integrates with the Telesat Lightspeed satellite network.”