Four European telcos weigh joint bid to take on Starlink

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica and Vodafone are considering a joint bid to challenge Starlink's dominance in providing satellite mobile services across Europe. The proposed partnership aims to ensure "responsible European governance of key space infrastructure" and strengthen the bloc's sovereignty, security and resilience in critical connectivity infrastructure, the companies said in a joint statement on 19 October.

Network operators will have "open and non-discriminatory access" to sell their services, thereby expanding consumer choice. The initiative follows the EU's recent proposal to select mobile satellite services providers authorised to use the 2GHz frequency band beyond 2027, currently held by American companies Viasat and EchoStar.

The operators plan to coordinate functions and establish ground network infrastructure, while a third-party satellite provider will handle the constellation. However, concerns have been raised about the proposal, with most satellites in Europe being operated by US or Chinese companies, and SpaceX expressing skepticism about the EU's plans to boost satellite sovereignty.