Ukrainian company STETMAN has signed an agreement with Requtech (Sweden) for the licensed serial production of advanced satellite terminals that operate as an alternative to Starlink. The head of the Ukrainian company, Dmytro Stetsenko, told dev.ua what is known about the agreement and future production.
Ukrainian company STETMAN has signed an agreement with Requtech (Sweden) for the licensed serial production of advanced satellite terminals that operate as an alternative to Starlink. The head of the Ukrainian company, Dmytro Stetsenko, told dev.ua what is known about the agreement and future production.
STETMAN (Ukraine) develops, manufactures, re-equips, repairs, supplies, connects and maintains military satellite systems STARMOD, UASAT, as well as Starlink, Intellian, Kymeta and Resa systems.
These systems are compatible with various satellite platforms:
«That is, today we already have a working alternative to Starlink in the LEO satellite segment — OneWeb, as well as additional options in GEO satellites — Intelsat and UASAT,» notes Dmytro Stetsenko.
As for the agreement with Requtech (Sweden), it provides for licensed serial production in Ukraine, the head of STETMAN reports. According to him, the Swedish side is transferring to us technical documentation and the right to independently manufacture a satellite terminal based on their Resa development.
«We are adapting it to our needs, adding our own design, protection, and components that we have already successfully used in STARMOD for Starlink and have been supplying to the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine for the past 2.5 years,» adds Dmytro Stetsenko.
This terminal is functionally similar to Starlink, but has a lower speed — 5/50 Mbps versus 20/200 Mbps.
«This is not a terminal limitation, it’s just that OneWeb satellites are 10 times smaller than Starlink. However, for security tasks, this is quite enough,» emphasizes the head of STETMAN.
The agreement with Requtech, according to Dmytro Stetsenko, does not fix a specific production volume — it is a license. For example, according to an optimistic scenario, in 6 months the Ukrainian company plans to launch production with a capacity of 2,000 to 10,000 terminals per month, paying Requtech a license fee for each product. This significantly, as the head of STETMAN noted, reduces launch times and capital costs.
«In addition, the terminal is already certified, which saves Ukrainian manufacturers an additional 1–2 years,» he emphasized.
The production of several thousand terminals in Ukraine may further stimulate Eutelsat to accelerate the expansion of the OneWeb group. Interestingly, we have already received the first applications from investment groups to finance the order and launch of satellites for the needs of Ukraine.
The company is currently working on the need for personnel and will soon be placing them at target sites. According to Dmitry Stetsenko, these are:
In total, the team is planned to consist of 80 to 140 people.
«Yes, the alternative already exists,» Dmytro Stetsenko answered the question: «Will this become a real alternative to Starlink and will Ukraine be able to refuse Elon Musk’s connection?»
According to him, even before the start of licensed production, Ukrainians are already ready to supply terminals for the OneWeb network from Intellian, Kymeta and Requtech. «However, I believe that we do not need to abandon Starlink. It is better to have backup systems and provide sources of financing for the use of both networks,» adds Dmytro Stetsenko.
He also said that currently the alternatives are more expensive than Starlink. «But over time, that could change,» he said.
