Starlink competition is ramping up in Ukraine

French outer web institution Eutelsat has been providing Ukraine with much-needed net entree for astir a twelvemonth with the assistance of the German government, Reuters reports. Eutelsat’s OneWeb part operates low-orbiting satellites that pass with terrestrial terminals for net connectivity — likewise to rival SpaceX’s Starlink network, which has been the superior supplier of outer net for Ukraine’s government.

At Eutelsat’s Paris office connected Thursday, CEO Eva Berneke revealed that Germany has been providing the backing (of an undisclosed amount) to tally the company’s outer net entree successful Ukraine. Right now, Eutelsat has little than a 1000 terminals determination compared to Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, which has astir 50,000 Starlink terminals moving successful the country, mostly funded by Poland and the US.

However, Berneke says Eutelsat could get 5,000 to 10,000 much into Ukraine “within weeks.” Eutelsat spokesperson Joanna Darlington tells Reuters that they are inactive nether treatment connected whether Germany oregon different fiscal sources volition assistance with that expansion. Bernerke besides said it is successful talks with the EU nether the EU-backed SpaceRISE consortium, wherever it and different members are moving to build a unafraid outer constellation known arsenic IRIS².

A Eutelsat enlargement couldn’t travel astatine a much important clip arsenic the US-Ukraine narration unravels nether the Elon Musk-backed Trump Administration. The European Commission’s defence main Andrius Kubilius told Reuters astatine a quality league connected Wednesday that, successful the lawsuit of “unexpected developments,” which Kubilius didn’t elaborate on, determination are solutions successful spot successful lawsuit they request alternatives to Starlink.