Illustrative photo: French operator Eutelsat may replace Starlink for Ukraine (GettyImages) Author: Natalia Kava
French satellite operator Eutelsat is in discussions with European governments to expand its services in Ukraine. The company could become an alternative to Starlink.
RBC-Ukraine reports this with reference to the Financial Times.
According to media reports, Eutelsat is already cooperating with European organizations and has equipment that can be quickly deployed in Ukraine. This will improve communications for critical military and civilian facilities.
It is also interesting that after the US suspended military aid to Ukraine, Eutelsat shares rose by 80% in a day, which may indicate Europe's intention to increase its own support for Ukraine.
It is known that Eutelsat plans to use two types of satellites:
- low-orbit OneWeb (1200 km);
- geostationary (35,000 km).
This will help maintain communications for Ukrainian drones that are striking Russian positions.
Despite this, OneWeb is still inferior to Starlink. After all, Musk's system has more than 7,000 satellites, while OneWeb has less than 700. Eutelsat terminals are also heavier and less convenient for mobile use.
Risk of Starlink Limitation
Starlink provides critical communications in Ukraine, helping the military, government agencies, and civilians maintain communications, particularly in war zones. At the same time, according to Reuters, the United States is pressuring Ukraine to access strategic mineral resources. During the talks, the American side raised the issue of possibly disconnecting the country from Starlink.
We also wrote that the European Commission is studying how to help Ukraine provide satellite communications in the event of restricted access to the Starlink network.
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