• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • NEWS:
  • SatNews
  • SatMagazine
  • MilSatMagazine
  • SmallSat News
  • |     EVENTS:
  • SmallSat Symposium
  • Satellite Innovation
  • MilSat Symposium

SatNews

  • HOME
  • Magazines
  • Events
  • Perspectives
  • Industry Calendar
    • IN PERSON
    • VIRTUAL
  • Subscribe

Exec Leaving Eutelsat + Bharti Pondering OneWeb Service Ops

December 2, 2020

Gerry O’Sullivan, Eutelsat’s EVP/Global TV & Video, has left the satellite operator to take on new opportunities nearer his UK home. He has been in the post at Eutelsat since 2017, commuting to and from its Paris office from his London home — Eutelsat staff have been informed of his departure via an internal announcement.

O’Sullivan was instrumental in launching a range of new innovations for Eutelsat’s Video Business Unit, including the highly innovative Cirrus, and Eutelsat’s recently launched SAT.TV EPG which has now been extended from its Middle East service to HotBird. He was also responsible for the Fransat platform and that service’s now 2 million user base.

Gerry O’Sullivan

O’Sullivan’s broadcasting career included spells at the BBC, Fox News and ABC and importantly at BSkyB (2000-2010) as Director/Strategic Product Management, and responsible for a team that introduced Sky+HD and Sky’s VoD and Catch-Up services. From 2011 to 2013 he was SVP/Global TV and Entertainment at Deutsche Telekom and responsible for developing its global media business. At Digicel Group, he devised strategies on cloud-based multi-screen consumer propositions and steered the launch of IPTV across the Caribbean. He also served on the board of Piksel, an innovative cloud-based video services company.

However, his departure — and that of Markus Fritz (EVP/Commercial Development/Strategic Partnership) a few weeks ago — might be seen as a worrying trend. While Eutelsat’s arch-rival SES has been trimming headcount and closing offices, Eutelsat can ill-afford to lose talented staff from its executive tier. Sullivan had frequently spoke of the satellite industry’s need for video innovation to transform what is – at best – a stagnant video segment.

Also being reported is that Bharti Global’s MD, Shravin Mittal, son of Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal, speaking to India’s Economic Times, stated that Bharti is now planning how it will enter the giant Indian market.

Sunil Mittal

Mittal says that OneWeb is on track to secure the regulatory approvals and permissions to launch a service in India. However, what is not yet settled is whether Bharti will launch its own OneWeb service direct to users (probably via Bharti’s Airtel business) or tap commercial partners. The options could include creating a joint-venture.

Sunil Mittal is on record as saying that OneWeb will start offering broadband services by May/June 2022 and would initially focus on remote areas and those parts of India that remain unconnected.

The next batch of OneWeb satellites will launch in mid-December and take the number of satellites in orbit to more than 100.

Filed Under: Analysis / Reports, Satellites, SmallSat

Primary Sidebar

Most Read Stories

  • UPDATE 4: Virgin Orbit updates their "Start Me Up" mission anomaly
  • UPDATE 4: SpaceX changes date and time of the Starlink launch to January 15th from Vandenberg SFB — while SpaceX Falcon 9 propelled the OneWeb Launch 16 mission to orbit from Canaveral –
  • Cook Islands to get Vodafone Cook Islands' 4G+ networks via SES’s O3b mPOWER  
  • UPDATE 1: SpaceX sends Northrop Grumman's USSF-67 two satellite mission to orbit via a Falcon Heavy — Northrop Grumman comments
  • UPDATE 2: Rocket Lab's 1st U.S. launch for HawkEye 360's Cluster 6 payload set for January 23rd.

About Satnews

  • Contacts
  • History

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020

Secondary Sidebar

x
Sign up Now (For Free)
Access daily or weekly satellite news updates covering all aspects of the commercial and military satellite industry.
Invalid email address
Notify Me Regarding ( At least one ):
We value your privacy and will not sell or share your email or other information with any other company. You may also unsubscribe at anytime.

Click Here to see our full privacy policy.
Thanks for subscribing!