Can Eutelsat become a substitute for Europe for Starlink?

France looks at EUTELSAT as a strategic origin in pushing the European Union for technological sovereignty.

Benoit Tessier | AFP via Getty Images

For years, France Eutelsat He was trying to build a European alternative Elon Musk Starlink Satellite Sarbandlise Service.

The company merged with BRISHISH SATELLITE VENTURE OneBB in 2023, as it strengthens the satellite communication industry in the region in an attempt to catch up with Starlink, owned by SPACEX.

Last week, the French state led a 1.35 billion euros ($ 1.58 billion) investment in Eutelsat, making it the largest shareholder in the company with a share of approximately 30 %.

Europe is largely backward behind the United States in the global space race. Starlink constellation, which includes more than 7000 satellites, Eutelsat’s dwarves. Meanwhile, the launch capabilities in Europe are more limited to the United States, the region continues to depend greatly on America for some launch services, a market dominated by Spacex.

Eutelsat currently has a market value of 1.6 billion euros, which is much lower than Starlink Spacex, which was It was linked to $ 350 billion In the sale of high school stocks last year. In 2020, Analysts in Morgan Stanley said They see Starlink grows to $ 80.9 billion in the company’s “basic status”.

Lookla, an industry analyst at the OKLA Network Control Company, said that France’s investment in Eutelsat explains that the country “is now dealing with Eutelsat like commercial telecommunications company and more like a bilateral user -use sub -provider” and “strategic assets” in pushing the European Union in favor of the European Union for the European Union. Technological sovereignty.

However, building a European competitor for Starlink will not be featted work.

The issue of size

CNBC telecom experts tell that although Eutelsat can enhance Europe’s efforts to create a satellite satellite provider, the challenge of its rival in Starlink in the United States will require a significant increase in investments in low -Earth -Earth -Earth satellites (Leo).

The Eutelsat is a total of 650 Liu satellites, which is less than the tenth of the global satellite constellation of 7600 people.

“To provide greater capacity and coverage, (Eutelsat) needs to increase the number of satellites in space, a task that has become more difficult because of the fact that many of the OneWeb satellite is approaching the end of its life and it will need to replace CNBC first before cultivation of Constellation Size,” said Joe Garderner, research analyst in the market, by e -mail.

Owokla Kiu repeated this opinion. “Eutelsat’s chances of achieving equal with Starlink in the broader satellite sector in the large market over the next five years are still limited, given the unparalleled global range in Spacex in the Leo infrastructure,” he said.

“Even with the latest capital injection from the French state, Eutelsat continues behind Starlink in many major areas, including capital, manufacturing productivity, access to the spectrum, and user stations.”

However, he believes that the company “is in a good position to succeed in European sectors appropriate to security and institutions that give priority to judicial control and sovereignty over the capacity of the raw constellation.” The Foundation Sector refers to the market for corporate space customers.

Can Eutelsat replace Starlink in Europe?

This is definitely hope. Emmanuel Macron, from France, urged Europe to increase its investments in space, saying last week that “space has somehow a measure of international power.”

When Eutelsat announced its investment from France last week, the company stressed its role as “the only European operator with the entire LEO operating network” in addition to “the strategic role of the Wio constellation in the France model for sovereign defense and space communications.”

Earlier this year, Eutelsat was rumored to run to replace Starlink in Ukraine. For years, Starlink has offered the Ukraine army its online services to help the war effort amid Russia’s continuous invasion.

Relations between the United States and Ukraine are strained after the president’s election Donald Trump Reports showed that American negotiators raised the possibility of cutting Ukraine to Starlink.

Germany established 1000 Eutelsat stations in Ukraine in April with the aim of providing an alternative-instead of an alternative-Starlink stations of the war-torn country.

Since then, the United States’ tensions have been somewhat calming, and Starlink is still a wide range of satellite satellite for the Ukrainian army.

Eva Berneke, former CEO of Eutelsat, admitted that the company can not yet match the Starlink scale.

“If we have to take over the entire communication capacity for Ukraine and all citizens – we will not be able to do this. Let’s be very honest,” she He said in an interview with April with politico.

Bernik was replaced as an executive head in May by Jean Frankua Watcher, former CEO of the French Communications Giant orange.

Apples and oranges

Meanwhile, although Eutelsat has intensified investments in Satellite Leo with the OneWeb Unit, experts say that its technical and tropical designs are at the end of Starlink.

He added: “The OneWEB constellation is currently using the fold pipeline, which is not able to Starlink. Therefore, OneWEb will also need to invest in the satellite of the second generation.”

The French company’s use also varies in Starlink’s. Eutelsat runs a constellation of geosinary orbit (GEO) as well as Liu satellites. Geographical satellites revolve on Earth at a high altitude of Liu equations and can usually cover more lands with fewer satellites.

“The polar coverage of companies and research facilities in remote areas such as Greenland and Alaska.” Cisco A thousand network intelligence unit.

In the future, Etulsat said it plans to “build its improvement improvements” through a “distinct model to go to the market” and “a strong European consolidation”. I also noticed that the UK government can also increase its investments in Eutelsat “in a timely manner.