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Following news that Ukraine may lose the support of Elon Musk’s Starlink internet services, suggestions are being made for Europe’s Eutelsat to replace it.
Eutelsat is a rival satellite internet service to SpaceX’s Starlink, promising the same capabilities as Musk’s offering in Europe.
Following its merger with Britain’s OneWeb in 2023, Eutelsat became the only operational global-coverage constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites other than Starlink.
Despite only offering 630 LEO satellites compared to Starlink’s 7,000, it is bolstered by 35 linked higher geostationary orbit satellites, resulting in similar capabilities at 150 megabits per second, closely following Starlink’s 200.
Background
Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine when Russia invaded in February 2022, SpaceX supported Kyiv by sending it tens of thousands of Starlink terminals and dishes, allowing the war-torn country to remain connected online and maintain military communications.
Most of the dishes are used for the military, but some are available for civilians, allowing them to contact family.
The military has also used the service to guide attack drones; however, SpaceX stopped this two years ago.
The US government soon took over the funding of Starlink for Ukraine, paying its subscription.
However, following a heated discussion between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, the US has said it will suspend its support for Ukraine and resume when a date for peace talks is set.
Additionally, the US could cut funding to Starlink as part of its reduced support and may use it as leverage for the critical-minerals deal between the two countries; even now, Ukraine has shown a willingness to sign the deal.
That is unless an alternative service takes over – an alternative service like Eutelsat.
Eutelsat’s success
Since the row between Trump and Zelensky, the stock price of Eutelsat has quadrupled. Additionally, the European service already supports Ukraine’s government and institutional communications. Furthermore, Eutelsat told Reuters that it would be able to support government and defence operations.
There is a catch, however – cost. While Starlink charges users a $589 one-time payment in addition to a monthly subscription ranging from $95–$440, one of Eutelsat’s OneWeb terminals can cost as much as $10,000, on top of a monthly subscription.
Additionally, without US support to fund the project, it raises the question of who would pay the new expenses. It is worth noting that while the US took over Starlink payments, Poland has said that since last month, it has been paying Ukraine’s Starlink subscription and intends to continue doing so.
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