French satellite operator Eutelsat has started discussing with European governments the provision of additional connectivity in Ukraine, the Financial Times has reported. The owner of OneWeb said that it could quickly deploy equipment for critical infrastructure and military needs. The talks come amid reports that Ukraine risks losing Starlink connectivity, which is provided by SpaceX owner Ilon Musk, head of the US government’s efficiency department. Investors believe the French operator will be able to replace him.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) rely heavily on Starlink for their operations, but they have begun to question the stability of the link after the suspension of US military aid. At the same time, European leaders are looking for ways to increase support for Kyiv, which could lead to increased demand for Eutelsat’s services. The company clarified that this involves using a combination of its OneWeb and Geo satellite constellations, which are located at an altitude of 1,200 kilometers and 35,000 kilometers above the Earth, respectively. Both systems are capable of providing communications for Ukrainian drones, which are causing serious damage to Russian troops.
