Starlink rival in talks to boost satellite services to Ukraine

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Eutelsat said he is holding talks with European governments on providing additional satellite communication in Ukraine, where investors are betting that the French satellite operator can replace Starlink from Elon Musk in the country.
“He is actively cooperating with European institutions and business partners,” Eutelsat, the owner of OneWeb, a competitor to Starlink, said on Tuesday that he was “actively cooperating with European institutions and business partners,” adding that he had equipment that could be rapidly deployed in Ukraine to link the most important tasks and infrastructure. ”
Ukraine has He relied heavily on Starlink For her military campaigns because she played a decisive role in improving her contacts in the battlefield, but there are concerns that this would be at a threat after the United States suspended military aid to Kyiv on Monday.
Arrows in Eutelsat Up to 123 percent to 4.50 euros before returning to trade by 70 percent, as investors are betting that European leaders’ efforts to support Ukraine and join more than its security burden would enhance the demand for group services.
The stocks remain much lower than 10 euros that they were trading before Eutelsat announced their acquisition of OneWEb in 2022.
US officials raised the possibility of cutting Ukraine’s access to the satellite system in Starlink, Reuters said last week. Musk, the owner of the billionaire at Starlink and a major adviser to US President Donald Trump, said in a tweet that the story was wrong.
Eutelsat said that its talks with European governments focus on using a group of its satellite towers – OneWeb, about 1,200 km above Earth and geological satellites at 35,000 km – to enhance satellite delivery in Ukraine And the Black Sea region.
Both are able to provide contact Ukrainian dronesWhich caused severe damage to the Russian forces. Some military experts believe that any large concentration of Russian forces or tanks will spoil due to Ukrainian drones.
On Tuesday, the European Union proposed a package of 150 billion euros in loans to capitals of defense purchases. Ursula von der Lin, head of the European Commission, said this step can facilitate “Ukraine’s immediate military equipment.”
Eutelsat said, “Timing [of deploying additional user terminals for critical missions and infrastructure] It depends on the purchasing decisions taken by European member states and the necessary coordination of the infrastructure. “
The committee spokesman told the Financial Times that she was exploring “potential alternatives to Starlink in Ukraine.”
This can eventually include access to the Govsatcom system, which will collect the satellite capabilities of the member states of a very safe network of government services such as crisis management, critical infrastructure operation or monitoring.
This service is scheduled to work before next year, although it can be accelerated, according to one European official.
OneWeb already provides services to Ukraine through a German distributor, but his technology is older than Starlink. Starlink contains more than 7000 satellites in orbit, while OneWEb has less than 700.
Oneweb stations, designed to use business and government instead of residential customers, are larger and less Starlink.
Jean -Frederick Saljkirman, the chief credit strategy for telecommunications and the media in Ing, said that the possibility of providing more capabilities in Ukraine highlighted its “importance for European defense capabilities.”
Eutelsat said that the extent of satellites that can complete the existing military communications in Ukraine depends on specific operational requirements, security protocols and integration with the current systems.
Participated in additional reports for Henry Foy in Brussels
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2025-03-04 11:20:00