Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone and Telefónica discuss creating a European rival to Starlink

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone Group and Telefónica are holding preliminary discussions to form a consortium that would bid for the European Union’s satellite frequency spectrum and offer services directly to mobile phones, according to Bloomberg News, as cited by Reuters.

The companies are expected to bid jointly for part of the 2 GHz frequencies that the EU intends to reserve for a European operator. The plan is part of the bloc’s efforts to strengthen its sovereign satellite communications capabilities and reduce its dependence on technology companies from outside Europe.

No final decision has been made on forming the consortium or participating in the auction. Vodafone, Orange and Telefónica declined to comment, while Deutsche Telekom did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In May, the European Union announced that it would allocate most of the available satellite spectrum to European companies. Two-thirds of the capacity of the IRIS² network, comprising 290 satellites in multiple orbits, will be allocated for commercial use, split equally between operators from the EU and those from outside the bloc.

The consortium would compete for the share reserved for European operators. IRIS² is considered Europe’s answer to Starlink and is coordinated by the European Commission together with SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat。🤏🏻