Committee publication · Correspondence · 19 May 2026
Correspondence from Minister for Digital Government and Data, re; OneWeb, 27 March 2026
Summary
Dame Chi Onwurah, Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, writes to the Minister for Digital Government and Data requesting clarification on how the UK government's investment in Eutelsat OneWeb serves national interests, particularly regarding satellite communications sovereignty and resilience. She notes previous government testimony about OneWeb's role in remote connectivity and secure operations but observes the investment was omitted from recent satellite technology funding announcements.
Key findings
- Government previously stated OneWeb investment supports domestic resilience in communications for remote areas and provides low-earth orbit communications for UK Government operations globally with secure internet access in challenging environments
- Recent government announcement on satellite communications technology funding made no reference to OneWeb despite the UK's stake in the company
- Committee seeks clarity on the government's strategy to deploy its OneWeb investment for national sovereign capabilities in satellite communications
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Dame Chi Onwurah, Rt Hon Ian Murray MP, Lord Vallance, Baroness Lloyd, Eutelsat OneWeb, Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Notable line
“… the government was using its stake in OneWeb for purposes such as building domestic resilience in communication in remote areas.”
Key Quotes
“… the government was using its stake in OneWeb for purposes such as building domestic resilience in communication in remote areas.”
“… the network provided low earth orbit communications for UK Government operations globally, enabling secure internet access in challenging environments.”
“I'm writing to ask you to set out the steps the government is taking to ensure that its investment in Eutelsat OneWeb makes full use of the network's potential to support key UK interests, including around sovereignty in satellite communications.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗