OneWeb and its constellation of 648 satellites help connect the otherwise unreachable. Learn how it uses data mesh—and Snowflake—to help manage its data and unlock untapped potential.

OneWeb isn’t your typical communications company. Its constellation of 648 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites provides high-speed, low-latency connectivity for governments, businesses, and communities almost anywhere on the planet. From commercial flights and strategic sea routes to peacekeeping operations in areas with limited infrastructure, OneWeb delivers mission-critical connectivity in hard-to-reach places.

For Miguel Morgado, Data Product Owner, and his team at OneWeb, providing global connectivity means managing the 55 billion rows of data its satellites, gateways, and user terminals generate each day. But it’s not a responsibility his team could take on alone.

Meeting tenant demand for quality insights

Faced with rapid data growth and rising demand for quality insights, OneWeb needed a scalable solution that its 32 data tenants could easily access.

It also needed a way to thoroughly test its data before making it available to its tenants, each of which has its own domain, such as marketing, sales, and operations. 

“Our engineers needed a way to easily collaborate and use data to maintain and build our network,” said Morgado. “We also wanted to make it easier for tenants to monetize our data and visualize growth opportunities.”

Enabling data collaboration with Snowflake’s Data Cloud

OneWeb uses Snowflake’s Data Cloud to manage its unique data mesh architecture and distribute quality insights to its 32 tenants. It also combines Microsoft Power BI with Snowflake’s platform to visualise its data and drive collaborative innovation.

“When you’re ingesting 55 billion rows of data every day, you need a database that can scale on demand,” said Morgado. “It also needs to be easy to use, especially when our tenants, engineers, and collaborators rely on access to shared insights anytime.”

With support from its partners at Datalytyx and DataOps.live, OneWeb built a highly scalable Self-Service Data Hub (SSDH) with Data Mesh in just six weeks. And by enabling a DevOps approach, OneWeb can now analyze Terabytes of data in seconds, while at the same time making it easier than ever to ingest 55 billion records each day in parallel. All without compromising governance or agility.

OneWeb also uses DataOps.live to build, test, and deploy data environments in Snowflake Data Cloud, enabling consumers to access the data they need in minutes, while opening up new data monetization opportunities worth millions of dollars in net new revenue. 

Unlocking data-driven truths and looking to the future

With Snowflake’s Data Cloud, OneWeb can now easily manage its growing data mesh architecture and unlock quantifiable insights from its constellation of LEO satellites. 

Its internal engineers, distribution partners, and data clients also get shared access to a single source of truth, enabling seamless collaboration without duplicating data or adding additional complexity. 

But as Morgado explained, that’s not all:  “The greatest value we’ve taken from Snowflake’s platform is truth. We can now monetize our data, simplify maintenance, and drive growth using proven insights. We’re also looking into monetizing our data using Snowflake Marketplace and pulling in live data directly from our satellites and gateways.”