Swedish broadband operator Ovzon announced on Tuesday that its first fully owned satellite is set to begin commercial services following successful tests in geostationary orbit.
Company CEO Per Norén revealed that the inaugural client for Ovzon 3 will be France‘s elite police tactical unit, GIGN (Groupe d’Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale), ahead of the Summer Olympics in Paris later this month.
“Our proprietary T7 mobile user terminal has achieved impressive speeds with Ovzon 3,” Norén stated, noting speeds of “135 megabits per second download and 10 Mbps upload,” surpassing initial expectations.
Ovzon 3, built by Maxar Technologies, boasts five steerable beams and a reprogrammable onboard processor designed to establish a versatile mesh network, enabling independent operation of remote user terminals.
The U.S. Department of Defense, historically Ovzon’s primary customer, continues to show strong interest, alongside rising demand from European government clients for Sweden‘s first commercial satellite.
After overcoming years of launch delays and regulatory challenges, Ovzon secured extensions to meet spectrum rights obligations for its orbital slot at 59.7 degrees East.
Norén confirmed that Ovzon 3 successfully reached its orbital position on May 26, following a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch in January, and commenced operations ahead of the extended July 4 deadline.
“We have informed international regulators through the Cyprus administration of our satellite’s successful arrival,” Norén added, awaiting final confirmation of regulatory compliance.
The completion of regulatory processes, including Cyprus’s re-confirmation of “Bring into Use” status, marks the final step before full operational status for Ovzon 3.
