OneWeb Technologies and SES Space & Defense Bring Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Connectivity to Alaskan Schools and Healthcare Facilities

 Sept. 12, 2023

OneWeb Technologies, Inc.,and SES Space & Defense, a wholly-owned subsidiary of global content connectivity leader SES, announced the availability of secure, high-speed, low-latency, low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband services for school districts and healthcare facilities throughout Alaska.

SES Space & Defense installed 50 OneWeb satellite terminals in remote locations across Alaska in collaboration with OneWeb Technologies, the U.S. proxy company for OneWeb. This initiative will deliver secure, high-speed broadband solutions leveraging OneWeb's network of 648 LEO satellites, providing primary and backup capacity to SES Space & Defense's expansive Arctic terrestrial network spanning 19 microwave towers across 600 miles of interior Alaska and a fiber optic network from Nome to Prudhoe Bay.

"The OneWeb Technologies and SES Space & Defense partnership is bringing an incredible transformation to Alaska's remote communities," said Kevin Steen, CEO, OneWeb Technologies. "This is exactly why we do the work we do. We are thrilled to witness schools and remote health centers receive this lifeline to the digital age and to finally be able to tap into the connectivity resources that many take for granted." 

Transforming education

This September will be the first time students, teachers, and faculty of the Lake Peninsula School District (LPSD) and the Yukon Koyukuk School District experience the shift in communications when students return to schools equipped with true broadband services. Access to the OneWeb network will enable real-time collaboration, distance learning, and access to learning tools that were once out of reach.  

Connecting healthcare 

This initiative already benefits Tanana Chiefs Conference remote health clinics, which connects with the Alaska Native Medical Center and Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center, enabling vital telemedicine services without patients having to fly to Anchorage or Fairbanks. Previously, many clinics operated as solitary rooms, but now they're integrated with the ability to share information, vastly improving patient care.

"Empowering Alaska for over two decades, SES Space & Defense has pioneered robust broadband across Alaska's rural landscape," said SES Space & Defense President and CEO David Fields. "With offices in Anchorage and Fairbanks, we stand as a stalwart partner delivering vital broadband and technological support to schools and healthcare facilities statewide. This collaboration with OneWeb Technologies and the integration of OneWeb's LEO network, provides our customers with secure and reliable connectivity, which is crucial in Alaska's remote and unforgiving environments."