In pivoting to space, Rivada continues to court controversy

Rivada Networks unveiled plans last month to launch up to 600 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The company intends to provide global Internet services at speeds “similar or better” than those provided by fiber networks on the ground.

But new reports indicate that Rivada’s plans have been complicated by a group of Chinese investors who claim that Rivada’s LEO plans are built on top of assets that the company doesn’t actually own.

Rivada’s founder, Irish businessman Declan Ganley, remains unfazed. He has argued that Rivada can pursue its LEO ambitions despite the legal attack.

Ganley is no stranger to controversy. For example, he recently sued Ireland’s health ministry over coronavirus regulations that prevented him from attending church services. Shortly before that, he backed a lobbying campaign in the US designed to convince former President Trump to use Rivada’s technology to release more spectrum for 5G. That campaign culminated in a meeting between Rivada lobbyist and investor Karl Rove, a longtime Republican operative, and Trump in the White House’s Oval Office. The effort was not successful. “Our nation can do much better,” Trump said later of Rivada’s proposal.

Facing challenges

Rivada’s newest project to launch LEO satellites challenging providers like OneWeb, Starlink, Amazon and others is the company’s latest strategic pivot. Rivada was founded almost two decades ago and rose to prominence in the US with a bid to build FirstNet’s nationwide broadband network for public-safety workers. However, Rivada was ultimately barred from the FirstNet contract process due to a “substantial number of significant weaknesses and deficiencies” in its proposal, according to the Department of Interior. AT&T ended up winning the FirstNet contract.

But Rivada’s telecom ambitions aren’t restricted to the US and space. The company has reportedly pursued a role in wholesale wireless network operations in countries ranging from Iraq to Mexico, Chile and Jamaica.

According to Rivada spokesperson Brian Carney, the company has not been successful in any of those efforts so far and has not managed any commercial wireless networks during its corporate history. However, he argued that the company’s management team includes several experienced networking executives who could do so. They include former Sprint executives Peter Campbell, Keith Cowan and Doug Lynn, as well as Joe Titlebaum, who previously helped launch Sirius XM.

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