As geopolitical tensions rise and sabotage of undersea communications cables becomes a critical issue, telecommunication companies and major globally dispersed enterprise businesses are seeking a secure, fail proof communications infrastructure, and that's driving them to the Outernet.

There’s a growing recognition that governments and large enterprises need alternative paths of connectivity, Rivada Space Networks CEO Declan Ganley says. In a recent conversation with Via Satellite, Ganley says Rivada’s “time has come” as recent undersea cable attacks in the Baltic Sea and off the coast of Taiwan highlight the need for data sovereignty and data resiliency.

Over the past few years, subsea internet cables have been disrupted multiple times, and Western governments have pointed the finger at Chinese and Russian ships. Bad news for global comms, but good news for Rivada. “If there is a targeted attack on it to take down the internet, this is the only thing on a global basis that will keep operating,” Declan Ganley, Rivada’s Chairman and CEO, told Payload.

Unlike other satellite constellations partially dependent on fiber interconnected ground stations, the Outernet moves data across a high-capacity, totally private, and secure optically interlinked satellite network, never touching the ground. Outernet users access its satellite network directly via inter-company terminals, ensuring absolute security and protection from terrestrial fiber disruption.

A GSOA webinar produced in association with SpaceBQ, featuring Rivada’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ronald van der Breggen.

The discussion centred on the key drivers of development and innovation in the satellite industry, emphasising that customer needs are the main motivators. This reflects a shift from prioritising throughput to enhancing resilience. Panellists noted a transition from simply reducing launch and satellite costs to leveraging these technologies to create profitable business models.

In Germany, the current lack of innovation and the fear of a dwindling economic power play a major role. But there is hope: A strong space cluster has been developing Bavaria for years, enabling new innovations. This article was published in ‘Starkes Land Bayern’. This is a regional business magazine that appears twice a year as a supplement in the Bavarian edition of Europe's highest-circulation news magazine DER SPIEGEL.

Rivada Space from Munich is building a satellite internet for companies only, similar to SpaceX's Starlink. The project is backed by well-known investors and high-ranking US politicians.

The USA and EU are on an economic policy collision course with China. Many companies are suffering as a result. For some, however, the conflicts are also creating new opportunities.

We welcomed the German journalist Thomas Magenheim in our brand new office in Munich. Clemens Kaiser discussed with him the business model of the Outernet and the differences to the Starlink model as well as regulatory and investment topics.