Europe rushes to cut reliance on Musk’s satellites amid concerns: WSJ
3 Min Read
Starlink's dominance has highlighted the risks of relying on a single American company and its volatile owner.
-
A SpaceX Falcon 9 mission to launch 53 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East takes off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on May 13, 2022. (AP)
European authorities are seeking a local alternative to Starlink's network, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Amid growing concerns over the Trump administration's dismissive stance toward traditional US allies, pressure on Ukraine, and efforts to reconcile with Russia, many European nations are eager to reduce their dependence on the US — particularly on the unpredictable Elon Musk.
Starlink's dominance, however, has highlighted the risks of relying on a single American company and its volatile owner.
European authorities now want Eutelsat, headquartered in a dull business neighborhood outside Paris, to offer a backup to Starlink in Ukraine as soon as possible, using its satellite internet service OneWeb.
Eutelsat's ability to compete with Starlink shortly is widely questioned.
France's Eutelsat has less than 700 satellites in the lower Earth orbit, with aims to launch 500 satellites into space during the next three years. Starlink, the major worldwide satellite cell provider, has over 7,000 satellites, ten times more than Eutelsat. Its terminals also cost around one-tenth as much.
"OneWeb is not a suitable alternative to Starlink in any way, shape, or form," said Christopher Baugh, a satellite industry specialist at the Analysys Mason consulting firm. "Launching many satellites doesn't happen overnight."
Eutelsat intends to enhance capacity. The question is how fast—and who will pay the tab. The corporation benefits from the seismic geopolitical change that has occurred since President Trump's return to the White House.
Starlink has not ceased operations in Ukraine, but Europeans are concerned about possible risks.
"If SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider, we will be forced to look for other suppliers," Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski wrote on X in early March, reacting to Musk's claim that Ukraine would collapse without him.
According to Kiev, Poland covers almost half the cost of the approximately 50,000 Starlink terminals used by Ukraine's military and civilian administrations.
To properly compete with Starlink, Eutelsat would likely require billions of dollars in finance from its three largest shareholders: the French and British governments, as well as a conglomerate founded by Indian billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal.
The satellite internet business is becoming increasingly competitive. Amazon is constructing a satellite network known as Project Kuiper, while China is launching its own.
Concerns about Musk's dependability have even compromised Starlink's effort to obtain an Italian government contract to offer secure communication services. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a friend of Musk's who has good contacts with the Trump administration, was supportive of Starlink.
However, the European outcry against Musk has caused a delay in the decision. Rome said it is looking at Starlink and other options, including Eutelsat.
