A low orbit satellite internet service is expected to be launched in South Korea next month, with global providers Eutelsat OneWeb and SpaceX preparing to introduce the next-generation internet access from space, industry sources said Tuesday.
Eutelsat OneWeb, a subsidiary of the French business group Eutelsat, has already completed the communication equipment conformity assessment for satellite internet service and has started establishing network connections with local access points, according to KT SAT Co., the satellite service arm of local telecom giant KT Corp.
"OneWeb is installing equipment and is expected to launch the service in September," an official from KT SAT said.
OneWeb plans to provide the low Earth orbit (LEO) internet service in partnership with Hanwha Systems Co. and KT SAT.
SpaceX, which operates the Starlink service, has also received approval from the National Radio Research Agency for a key LEO service device, sources said. The agency oversees the mandatory conformity assessment system for broadcasting and communication equipment.
The U.S. company is awaiting additional approvals for other equipment.
"Once the process is completed, Starlink Korea is expected to launch the service after a short preparation period," said an official from SK Telink Corp., an authorized reseller of Starlink Korea.
LEO satellites, orbiting between 300 and 1,500 kilometers above Earth, can provide high-speed, low-latency communication due to their proximity to the planet, compared with geostationary satellites.
