OneWeb
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
Some sections are still being researched1 / 4
Sections to complete：05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
OneWeb, founded in London in 2012 by Greg Wyler, built a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband internet everywhere on Earth. It had launched 74 satellites toward a planned 650-satellite constellation and secured valuable global spectrum and ground infrastructure before running out of cash in 2020.
02 / OneWeb FAILURE REASONS
Failure factors supported by verified evidence
The company could not secure the additional financing needed to continue operating.
The company could not secure the additional financing needed to continue operating.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Founded
OneWeb was founded in London with the mission of building a global LEO satellite communications network for high-speed broadband everywhere.
- Chapter 11 bankruptcy
On March 27, 2020 OneWeb filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US after its biggest shareholder SoftBank stepped back from further investment; the company had raised more than $4 billion and had 74 satellites in orbit.
- Rescue and emergence
A consortium of the UK government and India's Bharti Global won the auction for OneWeb with $1 billion in new equity ($500 million each); OneWeb emerged from Chapter 11 on November 20, 2020, with Neil Masterson as CEO.
- Eutelsat merger
OneWeb merged with France's Eutelsat in a 2.8 billion pound deal, forming Eutelsat OneWeb.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.