Hanwha Systems to Launch Space Internet Service

Registered as a Periodic Telecommunications Operator by the Ministry of Science and ICT
Entering the Low Earth Orbit Satellite Communication Market through Investment in a UK Company

Hanwha Systems has completed the registration as a licensed telecommunications operator with the Ministry of Science and ICT. It passed the review about a month after applying for the registration on the 5th of last month.

On the 11th, Hanwha Systems announced that after completing the registration on the 10th, it plans to target the satellite communication market for business-to-government (B2G) and business-to-business (B2B) transactions.

Hanwha Systems is a licensed telecommunications operator without line facilities and will officially start space internet services that provide ultra-high-speed internet using low Earth orbit communication networks.

Previously, in August 2021, Hanwha Systems prepared to enter the low Earth orbit satellite communication market by investing $300 million (approximately 345 billion KRW) in the UK space internet company OneWeb.

OneWeb’s core business is space internet, providing ultra-high-speed internet worldwide by deploying numerous small communication satellites at an altitude of 1,200 km in low Earth orbit. By May of this year, OneWeb launched a total of 634 low Earth orbit communication satellites to complete its space internet network and plans to offer global satellite services starting at the end of this year.

Hanwha Systems will first promote the construction of a military low Earth orbit satellite communication network. The company explained that it is concretizing a blueprint to connect the entire battlefield in real time by sharing battlefield situation information detected by ultra-small synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites through low Earth orbit satellite communication and terrestrial networks. It also plans to enter B2B communication services usable in aircraft, ships, trains, vehicles, and urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles.

Hanwha Systems has continued investing in the electronic beam steering antenna (ESA) field, which enables stable 24-hour space internet service from low Earth orbit satellites by equipping satellite communication antennas in remote areas, at sea, and in the air where internet access is difficult. The company is also dedicated to developing advanced digital communication repeaters (OBP) that allow direct communication between terminals without passing through ground stations, and inter-satellite laser communication system (ISL) technology.

Kim Jeong-ho, Head of Hanwha Systems’ Aerospace Division, said, "Hanwha Systems is transforming into a ‘global hyperspace network’ company based on its unique defense, communication, and radar technology capabilities. We will rapidly build a military low Earth orbit communication network and provide satellite Internet of Things (IoT) services in various fields including UAM."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.