Eutelsat in talks to increase satellite terminals in Ukraine amid Starlink service concern

A French satellite operator is working with European authorities to increase their satellite service in Ukraine, a spokesperson confirmed to Euronews Next. 

"We are actively collaborating with European institutions and business partners to enable the swift deployment of additional user terminals for critical missions," a spokesperson for Eutelsat told Euronews Next. 

The news comes as European leaders met in Brussels this week and pledged to renew the bloc’s collective defence and support Ukrainian forces. 

Starlink, a satellite company run by Elon Musk, has been a major player amid the war in Ukraine. 

According to the Kyiv Independent, Ukraine said that approximately 42,000 Starlink internet terminals were supporting the country’s military operations, hospitals, businesses, and aid organisations. 

Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO, has denied media reports that he threatened to shut off Starlink satellites if Ukraine did not sign a $500 billion (€477.2 billion) critical minerals deal with the United States. 

'A couple of months' needed for 40,000 terminals

Eutelsat has more than 630 satellites moving in low-Earth orbit around the world, the company said, that offer the "same capacities" as Starlink for coverage and response time. 

Eutelsat’s low-Earth satellites are already deployed in Ukraine to support "government and institutional communications," the company said.

Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke told Bloomberg they would need a couple of months to supply 40,000 military-grade and standard terminals to Ukraine. 

The company is also considering using its 35 geostationary satellites to provide "additional capacity" over Ukraine and "stronger resilience" for the country’s connectivity.