Eutelsat is in discussions with investors to raise EUR 1.5 billion to support the expansion of its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite operations, according to a Bloomberg report citing sources familiar with the matter. The funding would be directed toward enhancing Eutelsat’s LEO activities, which stem from its recent merger with OneWeb. The combined satellite fleet now includes more than 650 LEO satellites, offering approximately 1.1 terabits per second of sellable capacity. The investment is expected to help scale the network’s reach and capabilities amid intensifying competition in the global satellite broadband sector.
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Existing Shareholders Join Funding Talks
Existing shareholders are reportedly involved in the talks, including the French and UK governments, Fonds Strategique de Participations – an investment fund owned by a group of French insurance companies, as well as French shipping giant CMA CGM.
Eutelsat’s push to grow its LEO infrastructure comes as it seeks to challenge rivals such as SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, both of which are aggressively deploying their own satellite constellations.
“The funds would help build out Eutelsat’s low-Earth orbit satellite network,” the report quoted sources as saying, adding that the deal would more than double the French government’s stake, from 13.6 percent to 30 percent.
South Korea Grants Approval for OneWeb LEO
Meanwhile, on Monday, June 2, 2025, Intellian Technologies—a satellite connectivity solutions company headquartered in South Korea—and Eutelsat Group, the GEO-LEO satellite operator, announced that the South Korean government has officially granted a regulatory license for the deployment of Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO satellite services in Korea.
In a first-of-its-kind decision, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) approved a cross-border supply agreement for satellite internet services. Intellian said this license enables the commercial rollout of OneWeb’s LEO connectivity across Korea’s maritime, military and government, and enterprise markets — opening the door for expanded satellite broadband access.
Eutelsat OneWeb service addresses connectivity demands across diverse applications, including maritime, aviation, enterprise, and government networks. Intellian supports the satellite ecosystem with advanced terminal solutions, integrated platform capabilities, and worldwide field service infrastructure.
Intellian and Eutelsat Team Up
According to the official release, Intellian is the largest supplier of OneWeb user terminals globally, offering a range of flat panel and parabolic solutions tailored for land mobility, maritime, and fixed installations. Its portfolio includes the OW10Hx, a compact flat-panel terminal based on phased array technology, and the OW11Fx, an enterprise-grade terminal capable of delivering up to 196 Mbps download speeds — both co-developed and deployed in partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb.
Eric Sung, CEO of Intellian Technologies, commented: “Korea’s regulatory approval for LEO services is a major inflection point for the region. It reflects the government’s forward-looking commitment to next-gen connectivity and positions Korea to lead in LEO-based innovation. Intellian is proud to play a key role in enabling this vision through close collaboration with OneWeb. The performance of our terminals — already deployed globally — proves that LEO is no longer experimental. It’s fully operational, scalable, and commercially impactful. With this launch, Korean customers now have access to high-speed satellite broadband that was previously unavailable or unviable, especially in sectors where fiber or terrestrial networks fall short.”
Neha Idnani, Regional Vice President, APAC, at Eutelsat OneWeb, stated, “Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO service will connect Korean businesses and government with reliable, high-speed connectivity. From secure defense networks, maritime operations to blue light services and cellular backhaul, our SLAs and committed information rates are tailored for the most mission-critical use cases. We’re proud to partner with Intellian Technologies — one of our closest technology partners — to deliver Korean-made user terminals for the Korean market, reinforcing our global commitment to local enablement.”
Eutelsat and Intellian say they see strong growth potential in Korea’s LEO satellite market and are committed to deepening their collaboration for both domestic and international deployments.
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