Greg Wyler
Greg Wyler in 2015
Born12 November 1969

Gregory Thane Wyler (born 12 November 1969) is an American tech entrepreneur, engineer, and inventor. He was the founder and executive chairman of OneWeb[1] and the founder of O3b Networks.

Business ventures

Wyler spent four years developing telecommunications in Africa in rural locations. In 2003,[2] he built a local team and connected over 200 schools to the Internet, providing the first 3G and fiber connections to residences on the continent.[3] In 2006 his company Terracom acquired 99% control of Rwandatel,[4] although the government of Rwanda then bought Rwandtel back in 2007.[5][6]

In 2007, he founded O3b Networks, Ltd.[1] The idea was first conceived in 2005 while working on a project to provide a nationwide telephone service in rural Rwanda, attempting to wire the post-war and economically shattered country.[7] O3b has launched 12 satellites, and the system provides the highest capacity and lowest latency combination of any satellites built to date.[8]

In 2012,[9] Wyler founded OneWeb with the mission of "enabling Internet access for everyone".[10]

On 1 August 2016, satellite operator SES S.A. completed the acquisition of O3b Networks.[11]

In March 2020. OneWeb entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy after failing to raise enough capital to complete the build and deployment of its satellite constellation.[12] OneWeb exited bankruptcy with new investment, but Wyler was no longer involved with the company.[13]


Wyler founded satellite communications company E-Space in 2022, to create a network of satellites providing services targeting governments and businesses.[14][15] [16]

Awards and recognition

In 2015, Wyler received the Arthur C. Clarke award for Innovation[17] and the 2B AHEAD Innovators Award.[18] In 2017, Wyler was voted the Top Rising Star in Wireless by Fierce Wireless[19] and later that year, The Most Powerful Person in Telecommunications.[20] In 2018, he was inducted into the French Legion of Honour.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 Winkler, Rolfe (14 January 2015). "Greg Wyler's OneWeb Satellite-Internet Company Secures Funding". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  2. ↑ Nixon, Ron (2007-07-22). "Africa, Offline: Waiting for the Web (Published 2007)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  3. ↑ Vance, Ashlee (22 January 2015). "The New Space Race: One Man's Mission to Build a Galactic Internet". bloomberg.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Terracom acquires RwandaTel". telecompaper.com. Telecom Paper. 2005-10-18. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
  5. ↑ "Rwanda's Government to buy back Terracom Communications". balancingact-africa.com (Issue no 365 ed.). Balancing Act. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
  6. ↑ "The Sales and Purchase of 100% shares of TERRACOM sarl and its 99% shares in Rwandatel S.A" (PDF). rura.gov.rw. Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority. August 1, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  7. ↑ Nixon, Ron (2007-07-22). "Africa, Offline: Waiting for the Web (Published 2007)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  8. ↑ "Greg Wyler - OneWeb - OneWorld". oneweb.world. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "OneWeb Announces Plans to Launch a New Satellite Constellation to Bring High-Speed Internet to Underserved Areas Around the World - Business Wire". businesswire.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "How OneWeb's Satellite Internet Could Weather Future Disasters". NBC News. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "SES Completes Acquisition of 100% of O3B Networks". www.spaceref.com. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  12. ↑ Holmes, Mark (14 May 2020). "In the Eye of the Storm: Greg Wyler Breaks Cover to Talk OneWeb". Via Satellite. Access Intelligence. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  13. ↑ Amos, Jonathan (10 July 2020). "OneWeb sale to UK-Bharti group gets court approval". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  14. ↑ Kelvey, Jon (8 February 2022). "OneWeb founder's new venture aims to make satellites that fight space debris". The Independent. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  15. ↑ FitzGerald, Drew (17 Oct 2022). "The 5G Space Race: A host of aerospace companies and startups are vying to develop satellite networks that can talk to smartphones". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  16. ↑ Hollinger, Peggy (2 February 2022). "Founder of OneWeb to join tech's race for space". Financial Times. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  17. ↑ "Innovator Award to Greg Wyler - The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation". clarkefoundation.org. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  18. ↑ 2b AHEAD ThinkTank (24 May 2016). "2b AHEAD - Greg Wyler: The new Space Race for Galactic Internet". Retrieved 8 August 2016 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ "OneWeb's Greg Wyler voted the top Rising Star in wireless". FierceWireless. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  20. ↑ "OneWeb's Greg Wyler voted most powerful executive in telecom for 2017". FierceWireless. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  21. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2022-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


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