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What Eutelsat's 2-Day Outage Says About LEO Satellite Service Resiliency
A software bug took down Eutelsat's OneWeb Low-Earth Satellite service for two days. The timing is bad for network managers looking for a backup option to other fragile networks.
Bob Wallace, Featured Writer
January 10, 2025
3 Min Read
Alexey Kotelnikov / Alamy Stock Photo
A ground system software bug caused a two-day outage last week of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite operator OneWeb’s broadband service. This comes as the company begins to expand its portfolio of services to enterprise and government customers internationally this spring.
OneWeb, which also operates a fleet of higher-flying 35 geostationary (GEO) satellites, said the disruption was caused by a failure to account for 2024 being a leap year, according to parent firm Eutelsat. The disruption began Dec. 31.
To worsen matters, OneWeb could not redirect traffic to the GEO satellites because customers did not have terminals to support LEO/GEO functions. All active OneWeb customers were affected by the extended outage.
EchoStar’s Hughes Network Systems is the supplier of the software for OneWeb’s terminals and key operational hubs at more than 20 teleports and Earth stations around the globe.
OneWeb expects to have the remaining four out of 42 of the remaining gateways completed by midyear. As far as compensation for the outage, the spokesperson said, “some customers with minimum service level clauses in their contracts will be eligible for compensation.”
What's next for Eutelsat?
LEO satellites fly closest to the planet, followed by older Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) birds and the highest-flying Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites.
Eutelsat is also in the midst of a refresh of spacecraft in their constellation, which is composed of over 600 satellites. They were launched in batches between 2019 and 2023. These satellites have a life expectancy of seven to eight years. Therefore, the company needs to start replacing the early batches in 2026, which is why the company recently ordered 100 satellites from Airbus, according to the spokesperson. There will be others to follow.
Tough timing for satellite outage
In the wake of subsea cable cuts and outages across the world, more people are looking to satellite – especially as a backup for terrestrial networks. Enterprise IT was reminded of the need for more resilient networks and emergency communications when Hurricane Helene devastated southeastern states such as North Carolina. It’s been estimated that it will take two years for the stricken region to recover.
Wireless began impacting LEO use case two years ago with the emergence of direct to device services.
Competition and consolidation
OneWeb broadband satellite service competes in the crowded LEO sector dominated by SpaceX Starlink service. (The company has launched more than 7,000 broadband satellites for its Starlink LEO network and recently recorded 4 million subscribers for the service.) OneWeb includes Amazon’s long-awaited Project Kuiper offering, Intelsat, GlobalStar, and more. Paris-based Eutelsat acquired OneWeb of London in 2023 to create the Eutelsat OneWeb Group.
Global LEO satellite market size was $5.43 billion in 2024, according to Business Research Insights, which projects the market is projected to touch $25.66 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 21.4% during the forecast period.
LEO service use cases
LEO services are used to provide Internet access and more to residences and businesses in rural areas worldwide, as well as by governments. OneWeb also offers mobile connectivity offerings to aerospace and maritime industries with the combined accounting for 14% of revenues, according to the company spokesperson. LEO services are also seen as a solid fit for surveillance and IoT applications.
LEO speed increases ahead
LEO service speeds continue to rise as operators evolve their infrastructure and user access devices. SpaceX filed plans with the FCC in October to offer gigabit services from its newest satellite.
In an ongoing effort to ensure network resiliency on earth, enterprises have been seeking satellite services as partial replacement for terrestrial and subsea services, or more likely as a backup to protect lifeblood data traffic. And just as the former are subject to cuts and outages, so too are satellite ground systems and the spacecraft themselves that together provide an array of satellite services.
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