PR92598

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to service NEOM, the Kingdom and MEA,

transforming connectivity to businesses and rural communities

High-speed connectivity will be a vital enabler of groundbreaking ecosystem of

cognitive technologies

NEOM Tech & Digital Holding Company – the first holding company to be

established as a subsidiary of NEOM – and OneWeb, the global communications

network powered from space, have signed a $200 million (SAR 750m) joint venture

agreement to bring high-speed satellite connectivity to NEOM, Saudi Arabia and

the wider Middle East and neighboring East African countries.

The partnership will see the deployment of OneWeb's Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

satellite constellation, which will not only provide the rapid and reliable

connectivity to enable NEOM's ecosystem of cognitive technologies, but also

transform businesses and rural communities in the region where access to

fiber-like internet was previously unimaginable. The agreement also includes a

long-term strategic partnership regarding research and development of future

connectivity systems.

It also builds on the relationship between OneWeb and the Ministry

Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and Ministry of Investment of

Saudi Arabia (MISA). Established in 2017, they are focused on unlocking Saudi

Arabia's nascent orbital space technology sector for private investors. In

addition, it further strengthens ties between Saudi Arabia and the UK

Government, which is a major strategic investor in OneWeb.

NEOM Tech & Digital Hold Co. and OneWeb, the second largest LEO operator with

358 satellites and the only licensed operator in Saudi Arabia, expect to

complete ground infrastructure in 2022. NEOM Tech & Digital Hold Co. and the

new JV entity will have exclusive rights to distribute OneWeb services in its

target regions for seven years from the initiation of the LEO satellite

network, which is expected to commence in 2023.

Joseph Bradley, CEO, NEOM Tech & Digital Hold Co., and Neil Masterson, CEO,

OneWeb, formalized the agreement at a signing ceremony at the Kingdom's

flagship Future Investment Initiative event. Also in attendance were: His

Excellency Khalid Al Falih, Minister of Investment, Saudi Arabia; His

Excellency Abdullah Alswaha, Minister for Communications & Information

Technology, Saudi Arabia; Lord Gerry Grimstone, Minister for Investment at

Department for International Trade and Department for Business Energy and

Industrial Strategy, UK; Nadhmi Al Nasr, CEO, NEOM; and Sunil Bharti Mittal,

Executive Chairman, OneWeb.

H.E. Al-Falih said: "It is a great pleasure to witness the signing of the joint

venture between NEOM and OneWeb, which is a testament to Saudi Arabia's

promising future in the space technology sectors. Today's agreement will

contribute to economic growth and accelerate digital and communications

knowledge transfer to the Kingdom through the transformative NEOM vision. As

the Ministry of Investment works to implement the National Investment Strategy

recently launched by HRH the Crown Prince, we will continue to provide support

to this and other differentiated initiatives and projects and look forward to

seeing it come to fruition in the near future."

H.E. Al Swaha said: "This ground-breaking joint venture shows the power of

collaboration between nations, and with the private sector. By working

together, we will bring digital connectivity to a region of more than a billion

people, opening access to life-changing opportunities in education, healthcare

and the job market. We are one step closer to ensuring that no child is left on

the wrong side of the digital divide."

UK Investment Minister Gerry Grimstone said: "This joint venture brings

together two emerging space and digital technology champions to deliver

connectivity for the Middle East. It demonstrates that the UK Government's

investment in OneWeb continues to be a catalyst for international

collaboration, while securing jobs at home and driving investment into the UK

space sector."

Mr Bradley said: "We aim to connect 100% of NEOM's territory yet we must also

preserve the natural environment. This is what drives us to innovate with

partners such as OneWeb to create sustainable ways to accelerate human

progress. The partnership has the potential to transform the way governments,

businesses and communities connect to the internet."

Mr Mittal said - "This agreement will help realize our joint vision of boosting

connectivity in Saudi Arabia, Middle-East and East Africa. It exemplifies the

model through which OneWeb's services will reach unconnected or poorly

connected regions – through cooperation with international governments and

local partners."

Mr Masterson said: "This agreement represents OneWeb's global vision to help

bridge the digital divide through our innovative LEO satellite network. By

working with NEOM Tech & Digital Hold Co., OneWeb will support the ambitions of

NEOM, connecting businesses and communities and supporting the resilience of

connectivity systems across the wider region."

Currently, OneWeb uses the latest security protection employed in advanced

mobile networks. NEOM Tech & Digital Hold Co. will be trialing technologies to

provide further security protection as well as testing new, more robust and

resistant positioning and navigation solutions.

The partnership supports NEOM Tech & Digital Hold Co.'s international

connectivity strategy, which will use connections to sub-sea and terrestrial

communications cables, the construction of 5G and fibre networks, and now LEO

satellites to secure access to tens of terabytes of scalable capacity for both

urban and rural businesses and communities in NEOM by 2030.

About OneWeb

OneWeb enables connectivity for governments, businesses, and communities. It is

implementing a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites with a network of

global gateway stations and a range of user terminals to provide an affordable,

fast, high-bandwidth and low-latency communications service, connected to the

IoT future and a pathway to 5G for everyone, everywhere. www.oneweb.net

OneWeb's constellation and deployment strategy is unique in the industry:

- Truly global service and coverage: OneWeb satellites, once fully deployed,

will uniformly cover the earth's surface, including the Arctic and northern

latitudes.

- Spectrum priority: OneWeb holds ITU priority rights in the Master Register

for Ku band usage in LEO satellite systems. This means other LEO operators must

not interfere with OneWeb signals and must co-ordinate if they wish to also

offer services.  

- Working with local service providers: As a B2B operation, OneWeb partners

with local service providers in each market to ensure connectivity amplifies

what is already available, rather than offering LEO connectivity as an

alternative, helping providers expand their services to new areas.

- Local system ensures secure data management for countries: OneWeb's

deployment structure means it can ensure data traffic from one place is

securely transmitted back to that same place without the need to travel through

neighboring satellites or geographies.

- Sustainability in Space: OneWeb promises to leave no trace in space with its

'Responsible Space' commitments, based on the premise that space is a shared

natural resource, which can help transform the way we live, work, and connect.

About NEOM Tech & Digital Holding Company  

NEOM Tech & Digital Holding Company is a world-leading technology company

powering the world's first ecosystem of cognitive technologies at NEOM.

Evolving from its Technology & Digital sector, it was the first holding company

to be established as a subsidiary of NEOM, a region in Saudi Arabia charting

the course for a new future fueled by technology. NEOM Tech & Digital Hold

Co.'s digital infrastructure will be the operating system of NEOM, enabling its

communities and industries. In partnership with global tech-industry leaders,

it will co-invent the future of living with pioneering cognitive technologies.

Consent, trust and transparency are fundamental to NEOM Tech & Digital Hold

Co.'s license to operate, providing the ethical foundations to collect and

leverage customer data to realize bold ambitions. NEOM Tech & Digital Hold Co.

will use accurate, consented to and protected data to learn the day-to day

rhythms of residents to deliver predictive, personalized and autonomous

services. Its solutions will be powered by unrivalled connectivity and

computing capability, as well as cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) and

robotics, all underpinned by global security standards.

For further information visit :

https://www.neom.com/en-us/sectors/technology-and-digital

About NEOM

NEOM is an accelerator of human progress and a vision of what a New Future

might look like. It is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea being

built from the ground up as a living laboratory – a place where

entrepreneurship will chart the course for this New Future. It will be a

destination and a home for people who dream big and want to be part of building

a new model for exceptional livability, creating thriving businesses, and

reinventing environmental conservation.

NEOM will be the home and workplace to more than a million residents from

around the world. It will include towns and cities, ports and enterprise zones,

research centers, sports and entertainment venues, and tourist destinations. As

a hub for innovation, entrepreneurs, business leaders and companies will come

to research, incubate, and commercialize new technologies and enterprises in

ground-breaking ways. Residents of NEOM will embody an international ethos and

embrace a culture of exploration, risk-taking and diversity - all supported by

a progressive law compatible with international norms and conducive to economic

growth.  

For further information email media@neom.com or visit www.neom.com and

newsroom.NEOM.com.  

This material is distributed by DJE Edelman Inc on behalf of NEOM Tech &

Digital. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice,

Washington, DC.

Source:  NEOM Tech & Digital