Discussions are taking place between European leaders and Eutelsat about replacing Starlink in Ukraine.
Starlink might be replaced by satellite operator Eutelsat in Ukraine, reports The Register. The geopolitical tensions make the dependence on an American company for internet connection questionable.
Doubts About Starlink as a Strategic Choice
Since the Russian invasion, Starlink has played an essential role in Ukraine’s military communication. The satellite broadband service provided a robust connection for the military and critical infrastructure. Eutelsat is an interesting alternative system, especially after the merger with OneWeb. Starlink uses thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), while Eutelsat deploys a smaller number in higher orbits.
According to Joanna Darlington, CEO at Eutelsat, it offers similar coverage to Starlink and the LEO service is already active in Ukraine. The biggest issue is that Eutelsat is significantly more expensive than Starlink: a terminal costs about 9,200 euros, while a Starlink terminal costs only 500 euros. Because Starlink has been in use for a while, there are already 40,000 terminals operational in Ukraine. Eutelsat currently has 2,000 operational terminals, but CEO Eva Berneke states that this can be scaled up to 40,000 in a few months, given sufficient investments.
The company is already collaborating with European institutions to accelerate the deployment of additional terminals. The plan aligns with Europe’s initiatives to become less dependent on American technologies and to build its own satellite broadband strategy.