Airbus Defense and SpacAirbus Defense and Space to build a fleet of 900 microsatellites that will beam affordable Internet access globally starting 2018. Image credit: Airbus Defense and Spacee has been selected by OneWeb as a manufacturing partner for a project to build a fleet of 900 microsatellites that will beam affordable Internet access globally from space down to Earth beginning in 2018.

Design and production of the first 10 satellites will take place at Airbus Defense and Space’s facilities in Toulouse, France, with full production moved to the U.S.

The project is being partly-funded by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm.

OneWeb and Airbus face competition for the Internet satellite plans. British satellite firm Inmarsat has plans to launch a globally available high-speed mobile Internet service in the second half of this year. U.S.-based SpaceX also filed an application to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in June to launch Internet-beaming satellites.