Ex-Communications Minister invites investors to buy out a stake in the operator of the OneWeb global satellite network

OneWeb often writes about the global satellite Internet project, since the project is also interesting, plus the company actively cooperates with Russia. Perhaps in the near future this cooperation will become even closer, and the project itself - more Russian than ever.

The fact is that the former Minister of Communications and Mass Communications Nikolai Nikiforov is gathering a pool of investors to buy a minority stake in the satellite operator, as reported by Vedomosti. The proposals were received by Vladimir Evtushenkov, the main co-owner of AFK Sistema, Leonid Mikhelson, the board of directors of Novatek, Alisher Usmanov, Vladimir Potanin and Peter Aven, co-owners of USM Holdings, Norilsk Nickel and Alfa Bank.

The share in question is 12.5% ​​of the total package of the satellite operator.

Earlier it was reported that OneWeb plans to get a pool of frequencies in Russia, which it is doing now. This question cannot be resolved quickly, as frequencies have always been a sensitive issue for the authorities. And the problem is that the requested spectrum is also of interest to the Russian Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Space Communications” (GPKS). This issue is currently under review by the relevant authorities.

OneWeb also offers 12.5% ​​of the project (just the share that Nikiforov spoke about) in exchange for a certain range of frequencies in Russia. To work in the country, the company has created a joint venture with Roskosmos, which has received the name “Uanweb”. 60% of the company's capital belongs to the global company OneWeb, and 40% to the satellite communication system Gonets, which is controlled by Roscosmos. By 2021, it was planned to launch satellites on the Soyuz family of rockets from such cosmodromes as Baikonur (Kazakhstan), Vostochny (Russia) and Kourou (French Guiana). As mentioned above, a total of 21 "Union" were contracted with a total value of $ 1 billion.

Roscosmos plans to send communication satellites OneWeb and O3b in February and March of this year.