A British satellite operator that sells high-capacity Ka-band broadband links across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with its headquarters in Newquay, Cornwall and a second site at Goonhilly.
Avanti Communications is a British satellite operator that provides wholesale broadband and connectivity. It sells to internet providers, mobile network operators, businesses, governments and other satellite operators. Its own news release says it runs four Ka-band HYLAS satellites offering 50 GHz of capacity, together with seven gateway earth stations, and describes it as the first commercial satellite operator to provide Ka-band services from geostationary orbit. Ka-band is a radio frequency that carries a lot of data, which makes it useful for broadband in places without good ground networks. Avanti's focus is the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
The company was founded in 2002. Its HYLAS-1 satellite, launched in 2010, was the first British Ka-band satellite. In 2015 or 2016 its then chief executive, David Williams, a co-founder, said that the satellite industry had not yet embraced the high frequency and added that "this is a market segment where the UK really is taking a global lead". He stepped down in 2017 and Kyle Whitehill became chief executive in April 2018. Avanti also built Lynx, a booking system for broadcasters, and a mobile app that helps satellite installers line up dishes. It has said it aims to lead UK progress in satellite communications. No separate mission statement was found.
For many years Avanti was known as a London-headquartered company. In February 2025 it moved its headquarters to the Space Systems Operations Facility at Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay. Mr Whitehill said the move reinforces Avanti's commitment to Cornwall's growing space sector and lets it work more closely with space and technology companies on site. Avanti also has a secondary site at Goonhilly Earth Station on the Lizard peninsula. Wikipedia lists further offices in Cyprus, Turkey, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Nigeria, and about 200 staff across the UK, Europe, the US, the Middle East and Africa, though that figure may be dated.
The pages we read do not describe Avanti's culture in any detail. They do show a company that is closely tied to the UK space community: it worked with Innovate UK, the UK Space Agency co-funded Lynx, and it works in the same buildings as other Cornish space businesses. Spaceport Cornwall's Ross Hulbert described the site as aiming to be a world class environment for space businesses to locate and thrive.
Roles at a satellite operator include satellite operations and network engineers, ground-station engineers, people who plan capacity and sell it to customers, software developers, regulatory and legal specialists, and finance and support teams. Physics, engineering, computing and mathematics are common starting points, though sales, marketing and business degrees also fit. A Cornwall base also suits people who want space-sector work outside London. Avanti's own website is the place to check current roles.
Website: www.avanti.space
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