Marlink signs distribution deal with Starlink

Marlink has announced a distribution deal with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite firm Starlink.

The maritime communications firm will offer SpaceX’s satellite connectivity solutions to its maritime and enterprise customers. Under the agreement, Marlink and OmniAccess will act as global “authorized Starlink integrators” for maritime and enterprise customers.

“This ability to utilize Starlink is giant step in our strategy to provide our customers with the best-in-class user experience, combining our industry-leading GEO satellite connectivity solutions with the next generation LEO high-speed, low-latency services,” said Erik Ceuppens, CEO, Marlink Group. “We are looking forward to working with SpaceX to integrate Starlink as part of our smart network solutions, creating a superior global connectivity service for our extensive maritime and enterprise customer base across the world.”

“Adding Starlink to its offerings will bring a new dimension of connectivity to Marlink’s global customer base,” said SpaceX vice president of Starlink sales Jonathan Hofeller. “This low-latency, high-bandwidth broadband experience will allow enterprise and maritime customers to manage their remote businesses more efficiently than ever before.”

Earlier this year Marlink signed a distribution deal with Starlink’s Low Earth Orbit satellite rival OneWeb.

Though it has been focused on consumers and traditionally been lagging OneWeb on the wholesale side, in recent months SpaceX has doubled down on its distribution deals with telcos and communication providers.

The company has signed a deal with T-Mobile to provide mobile signal connectivity from space, via its Starlink satellites to remote areas across the US, alongside deals with the US Air Force, Royal Caribbean, Speedcast, Hawaiian Airlines, and private plane provider JSX. Until this year, Starlink’s only B2B deal had been a backhaul agreement with KDDI in Japan.

Mangata comes to the UK, Starlink plans six more UK ground stations
In other LEO satellite news, SpaceNews reports that Mangata Networks, a U.S. satellite startup founded by former OneWeb CEO Brian Holz, has applied for a UK license to connect broadband terminals to its planned multi-orbit constellation.

According to a filing with UK regulator Ofcom, Mangata plans to deploy land earth stations (user terminals) in the UK. Mangata plans to deploy 224 satellites in highly elliptical orbit (HEO) and 567 in medium Earth orbit to provide services in fixed and mobility markets, including cellular backhaul and aviation. It aims to offer 50-500 Mbps and above in the KA band.

After initially launching eight satellites into HEO in 2024, the company expects to begin services in the United Kingdom and across North America and Northern Europe by 2025.

The company has also developed the MangataEdge; a combination of a satellite terminal, an integrated micro data center, and an open Radio Access Network (RAN) it claims can be easily integrated into terrestrial networks such as LTE/5G cellular networks.

Mangata said it could deploy more than 1,200 micro data centers with its initial eight satellites and scale to more than 170,000 when all 791 satellites are in operation.

Ofcom has also received an application for an NGSO Earth station network license from Telesat for its upcoming Lightspeed LEO satellite constellation.

In July, Starlink filed to establish six ground stations in the UK in Bedford, Bristol, Fawley, Hoo, Morn Hill, Wherstead, and Woodwalton. It currently operates three non-geostationary gateways in the UK; one at Goonhilly Earth Station, one at an Arqiva site in Chalfont, and one itself on the Isle of Man. DatacenterDynamics