en.Wedoany.com Reported - On July 9, Nepal's communication technology company Mercantile Space and Germany's low Earth orbit satellite communication firm Rivada Space Networks confirmed the deployment of a new generation of satellite connectivity services in Nepal. The project will access the Outernet network, consisting of 600 low Earth orbit satellites, providing point-to-point data transmission for Nepalese government agencies, enterprise networks, and critical infrastructure, while supplementing communication lines in remote areas where fiber optics and terrestrial wireless networks are difficult to cover.
Outernet does not follow the traditional path of connecting satellites to the nearest ground gateway and then forwarding data via the public internet. Its 600 satellites will form an in-orbit optical mesh network through inter-satellite laser links. Once data enters the satellite system from the source, it can be continuously forwarded between different satellites until it reaches a downlink node near the destination. The satellites are also equipped with in-orbit computing and routing capabilities, allowing them to select transmission paths based on link status, satellite positions, and target direction, reducing reliance on ground relay stations, international submarine cables, and third-party backbone networks during communication.
The specific access method for the project in Nepal has not yet been announced. Current plans focus on extending network coverage in mountainous, valley, and sparsely populated areas, while establishing independent data channels between different locations.
Nepal's terrain is highly undulating, and laying long-distance fiber optic cables in some areas requires crossing mountains, river valleys, or low-density residential zones, with line construction and maintenance constrained by geographical conditions. Nepal's Mercantile Space plans to integrate Outernet into existing satellite communication and wireless network service systems, equipping sites that cannot stably connect to the terrestrial backbone network with LEO satellite links. Related terminals can support remote institution access, enterprise branch interconnection, backup communication after primary line failures, and cross-regional data transmission for government networks. However, ground antenna sizes, user terminal models, allocable bandwidth, and service activation timelines have not yet been disclosed.
Rivada's network design emphasizes end-to-end point-to-point connections. Ordinary satellite broadband typically first transmits user data to a ground gateway before accessing the internet or an operator's backbone network. Outernet, in contrast, uses laser communication links between satellites to keep data in orbit over longer distances, only passing through ground links near the sender and receiver. This structure reduces the number of times data passes through public internet exchange nodes and multiple third-party networks, while also enabling the network to establish relatively independent logical connections based on customer needs.
Inter-satellite laser communication is the core transmission link of the 600-satellite network. Laser links use narrow beams to exchange data at high speeds between adjacent satellites. As satellites orbit, they must continuously perform acquisition, pointing, and tracking to ensure stable connections between two high-speed moving communication terminals. When a satellite is about to leave the communication range, the network must switch the data stream to the next satellite and recalculate the subsequent path. The in-orbit routing system handles link congestion, satellite position changes, and node unavailability. Compared to architectures where a single satellite directly connects to a fixed ground station, a mesh constellation must manage more dynamic links and routing relationships simultaneously.
The network plans to provide multi-gigabit bidirectional communication capabilities and achieve global coverage from the South Pole to the North Pole. Actual link speeds and latency will be affected by user terminals, the number of visible satellites, weather conditions, wireless frequency bands, service priorities, and ground access facilities. Measured data for the Nepal region has not yet been released.
Nepal's Mercantile Space also plans to use LEO satellite links for operator Ethernet backup. When fiber optics are interrupted by natural disasters, construction, or equipment failures, business traffic can switch to the satellite network, allowing enterprises and government agencies to continue connecting to remote data centers, cloud platforms, and internal systems. For customers requiring restricted data transmission paths, the system can establish relatively independent point-to-point channels within the space network, reducing the risk of business traffic passing through unknown routing nodes after entering the open internet.
Germany's Rivada Space Networks stated that the Outernet LEO network has already formed a business pipeline exceeding $20 billion globally. This figure corresponds to network service arrangements being advanced in different countries and industries, and does not imply that all 600 satellites have been deployed or that related service revenues have been realized. Constellation construction, satellite launches, ground terminal configurations, and service activation in various regions still need to proceed according to project milestones.
The announced construction content focuses on Nepal's access to the 600-satellite LEO network, establishing inter-satellite laser transmission paths, and providing point-to-point connections for government and enterprise networks. Both parties have not yet disclosed the construction locations of ground facilities in Nepal, the number of terminals, spectrum configurations, initial service areas, or the official operational date.
