French satellite operator Eutelsat was thrust into the spotlight last week as a potential replacement for Elon Musk’s Starlink in Ukraine — and potentially, broader Europe.
Eva Berneke, Eutelsat’s CEO, said the company was in advanced discussions with the EU about expanding its internet service in Ukraine. She also said Eutelsat was in “very positive talks” with Italy to provide an encrypted communications service for government officials. In the same week, investors rallied behind Eutelsat, sending its shares soaring over 500%.
But what exactly is Eutelsat? And could it realistically replace Starlink in Ukraine and beyond?
An independence mission
In 1977, 17 European countries came together to form the European Telecommunications Satellite Organisation — “Eutelsat” for short. The idea was to develop a satellite-based telecommunications infrastructure independent from the US or the Soviet Union.
In 1983, Eutelsat became the first European provider of satellite TV. In 2001, the company was privatised, and in 2023 it merged with the UK’s OneWeb to become the world’s third largest satellite operator.
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With the merger, Eutelsat inherited OneWeb’s constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites for internet communications — a similar setup to its bigger rival Starlink.
How do OneWeb’s satellites work?
Eutelsat currently has 653 OneWeb satellites orbiting the Earth, each circling about 1,200km above the surface. This relative proximity results in lower latency and faster internet speeds compared to traditional geostationary satellites, which are around 30 times further out in space.
Ground stations on Earth are connected to the internet and beam data to satellites orbiting above. The satellites then transmit the data to user terminals, small devices with antennas that enable internet access in places where traditional connections aren’t available. These user terminals are especially useful in remote areas, airplanes, ships, vehicles, or — as we’ve seen in Ukraine — conflict zones.
Can Eutelsat replace Starlink in Ukraine?
Eutelsat told TNW that it offers the same coverage and latency capabilities as Starlink. The firm’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) services are already deployed in Ukraine, where they support government and institutional communications. Additionally, Eutelsat said its geostationary orbit (GEO) systems could provide extra capacity over Ukraine, as well as “stronger resilience” for critical infrastructure connectivity.
Currently, Eutelsat has around 2,000 user terminals on the ground in Ukraine. That’s dwarfed by Starlink’s 40,000, yet Berneke said her company could reach that number “in a couple of months.”
Ramping up capacity that quickly, though, would present some serious logistical challenges, especially as OneWeb terminals are supplied by third-party companies, unlike Starlink, which builds its in-house.
Poland and the US, among others, have helped to fund Ukraine’s use of Starlink. Similar support would likely be needed for a rapid rollout of OneWeb terminals, particularly given Eutelsat’s not-so-healthy financial concerns.
Then there’s the tech itself. OneWeb’s satellites are older and less advanced than Starlink’s. They lack inter-satellite laser link technology, which improves coverage. They also have far fewer satellites in orbit than Starlink, which has around 7,000.
However, if the EU is serious about replacing Starlink in Ukraine, it’ll probably have to settle for second-best. The bloc will also have to make some serious financial commitments. Word from Poland this weekend provided positive news on that front.
In a post on X on Sunday, Poland’s foreign minister said the country would be forced to “look for other suppliers” if SpaceX “proves to be an unreliable provider.” Warsaw currently funds half of the 42,000 Starlink terminals operating in the country at a cost of about $50mn a year.
In the longer term, Europe has its bets placed on IRIS², a multi-orbit satellite internet constellation expected to switch on in 2030. There are also reports that a new Airbus-Leonardo-Thales Alenia Space joint venture called “Project Bromo” plans to challenge Starlink’s global dominance.
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