{
  "id": 15589018,
  "title": "Telefónica signs its alliance with Orange, Vodafone and Telekom to compete with Starlink on satellites",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/telefonica-firma-su-alianza-con-orange-vodafone-y-telekom-para",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-19T09:05:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Expansion ES",
    "slug": "expansion-es",
    "url": "https://www.expansion.com/empresas/telecomunicaciones/2026/10/19/6ad5dae1468aebdc3e8b4588.html"
  },
  "original_language": "es",
  "account": "Four major European telecommunications operators, Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Vodafone, have signed a letter of intent to compete for satellite frequencies that will enable Europe to enter the market and compete with Starlink. The four companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to study a possible joint bid in the future allocation of spectrum for Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) in Europe, according to a joint statement from the operators. The operators say the initiative supports the European Commission's goal of strengthening the sovereignty, security, and resilience of Europe in critical connectivity infrastructures. The initiative aims to ensure open and non-discriminatory access to satellite frequencies for all mobile network operators to provide Direct-to-Device (D2D) services to their customers, allowing other European network operators to also offer D2D services to their national customers, even if they are not part of the four founding telecom companies' consortium. By combining the broad commercial reach of the operators, their network capabilities, and operational expertise, the initiative could accelerate market deployment, enable efficient spectrum use, and facilitate seamless integration of satellite connectivity into existing mobile networks. The four operators plan to deploy key terrestrial infrastructure and critical coordination and supervision functions in Europe, although they note that this does not involve direct investment in a satellite constellation. Instead, the constellation will be provided by a satellite partner to be selected later, with the American firm AST seen as the most likely candidate, as reported by EXPANSION on October 13. The alliance between the mobile operators' initiative and the satellite operator would combine European governance and market access with proven satellite technology and deployment experience. While the four partners emphasize that this letter of intent does not replace existing satellite partnerships, it aims to provide a quick mechanism to gain access to MSS spectrum, as the bidding process is almost immediate, in spring 2027, and does not allow for developing a constellation from scratch. Afterward, the four telecoms will seek a formula to secure the industrial capabilities needed to launch the required satellite constellation to support these services. The decision of the four telecoms to jointly bid for European satellite spectrum has significant geostrategic and sovereignty implications. Currently, Starlink, the service provided by SpaceX, the company controlled by Elon Musk, is the only Western operator with significant service capabilities thanks to its constellation of over 10,000 satellites. Its main competitor is Amazon Leo, the Amazon-dependent company, which is also American. However, depending on American technology is risky for Europe, as demonstrated by the fact that Starshield, the defense service based on Starlink, and critical for the Ukrainian army's air defense against Russian airstrikes, was cut by the Trump administration. This has highlighted the need for Europe to have its own tools, even if they are less powerful than those deployed by Starlink. Additionally, Starlink's long-term plans do not aim to provide a complementary service to those offered by mobile operators based on terrestrial antenna networks, such as Telefónica, Orange, Vodafone, or Deutsche Telekom, but rather a competitive service that eliminates the need for national operators. Therefore, having an alternative to provide Direct-to-Mobile (D2D) satellite services is crucial for defending against Starlink's future competitive offensive.",
  "summary": "The four main European telecom operators have signed a letter of intent to compete for the satellite frequencies that Europe is going to put on the market to face Starlink.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "El Pais Economia",
        "title": "Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom, Orange y Vodafone se alían para plantar cara a Elon Musk",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/telefonica-deutsche-telekom-orange-y-vodafone-se-alian-para-plantar",
        "published": "2026-10-19T09:42:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Expansion ES",
        "title": "Los socios de Telefónica presionan a Competencia británica para que autorice la compra de Netomnia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/los-socios-de-telefonica-presionan-a-competencia-britanica-para-que",
        "published": "2026-10-19T13:22:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}