OneWeb plans to launch hundreds of satellites to provide Internet access to rural areas and developing countries. In the latest round of financing, the start-up companies valued at 2.5 billion US dollars, Japan's Softbank Group to invest 1 billion US dollars.
OneWeb announced on Monday that the company's existing investors have also invested $ 200 million in recent rounds of financing. The new funding ensures that OneWeb will be able to "firepower" and build and launch more than 640 satellites in the early part of the next decade. The company's goal is to provide fast Internet access through space connectivity to enable rapid navigation of car navigation systems in urban areas and rural homes in the United States and to enable schools in developing countries to quickly access the Internet. p1cn012n
For Softbank, OneWeb can work with mobile telecom companies and technology companies formed by Japan Telecom and the Internet Group to produce synergies.
OneWeb has previously announced a joint venture with Airbus Group SE to build a highly automated manufacturing facility in Florida that is designed to make satellite modules faster and cheaper than ever before - each satellite is expected to cost less than $ 1 million. Its core philosophy is to replace the existing industry production patterns by introducing manufacturing procedures similar to those currently used in medical equipment or aircraft equipment, instead of time consuming and custom-built manual assembled satellites.
Softbank said the investment will create about 3,000 US engineering and manufacturing companies, and can promote employment. This summer, Sun Zhengyi to 32 billion US dollars acquisition of ARM Holdings (British chip maker, designed the world's most smart phone chip).
A few months later, Softbank said it would establish a $ 100 billion technology investment fund with Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth funds and other partners, and Mr. Sun said it would push Softbank to the forefront of future technologies, including the need to connect every day The Internet of artificial intelligence, intelligent robots and the Internet of things. 42tm018
Mr. Sun said that OneWeb's fast, wide-ranging connectivity will allow these technologies to be applied more smoothly.
Earlier in the day, after talks with elected US President Donald Trump, Mr. Sun said he planned to invest $ 50 billion in US $ 50 billion in US $ 100 billion from the so-called Softbank Vision Fund. He also said that he intends to spend more time for investment, he said his goal is to become a technology circle Buffett.