BERLIN — The photo became instantly iconic in Kyiv three years ago: it showed a military-green truck with the cargo bed stacked with sleek, futuristic-looking boxes. “Starlink – here,” wrote Ukraine’s Digital Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, sharing the photo on the social network then still called Twitter. And he added: “Thanks, @elonmusk.”
Since then, Starlink has been a lifeline at the front lines. It plays a crucial role for the Ukrainian military, allowing soldiers to communicate, track targets, and coordinate drones. Often, satellite connections are the only viable option because landlines and cell towers have been destroyed.
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Even back then, gratitude for Musk’s support came with a dose of concern. Just as quickly as Starlink’s satellite terminals had arrived, Musk could cut Ukraine off. And over these past three years, the risks of relying on a private company for a country’s defense have become alarmingly clear, especially when that company is led by someone as unpredictable as Musk.
Could Musk cut off Ukraine’s internet?
In the past, Musk refused to let Ukraine use Starlink to coordinate an attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet. More recently, amid tense negotiations over a U.S.-Ukrainian raw materials deal, U.S. officials reportedly threatened to revoke Ukraine’s access to Musk’s private satellite service.
Musk denied the claim, and now that talks between Ukraine and the U.S. seem to be resuming, such threats appear to be off the table — for now.
Still, these recent diplomatic tensions have made one thing clear: Ukraine’s military and technical infrastructure, like much of Europe’s, remains highly dependent on the U.S.
Europe is not entirely empty-handed on the matter
In the past few days, the EU has been scrambling for answers. If Ukraine were to lose access to Starlink, could Europe step in? Are there alternatives that would allow the continent to avoid reliance on a single American company in times of crisis?
The answer: Yes — though only to an extent. But Europe is not entirely empty-handed on the matter, and that in itself may come as a surprise.
Eutelsat OneWeb alternative
One thing is certain: no other satellite internet provider matches Starlink in terms of quality, affordability, and ease of use. That’s a crucial advantage, especially for frontline troops who need to move the equipment quickly. Starlink offers faster data transmission than any other satellite network, and its system is already well established in Ukraine. An estimated 40,000 mobile terminals are deployed there, and soldiers are familiar with how they work.
“Right now, there’s no real alternative to Starlink in Ukraine,” says Andreas Knopp, a professor of satellite communications at the Bundeswehr University in Munich.
But in recent days, another name has emerged as a potential contender: the British-French company Eutelsat.
Eutelsat has been in the satellite business for decades, primarily for television signals. In 2023, it acquired OneWeb, a satellite network that operates similarly to Starlink. Like its rival, OneWeb uses satellites in low-Earth orbit, allowing them to provide internet access via ground terminals. It’s the second-largest network of its kind, though still a distant second: OneWeb has just over 600 satellites in orbit, barely 10% of Starlink’s more than 7,000.
Still, earlier this week, Eutelsat OneWeb announced that it was in talks with European governments and stood ready to provide Ukraine with additional satellite internet connections.
Complex, but powerful
OneWeb is already operating in Ukraine, albeit on a smaller scale. There are reportedly “thousands” of terminals in the country, according to Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke in an interview with Bloomberg. She claims that 40,000 more could be delivered in the coming months. A combination of OneWeb’s low-orbit satellites, positioned 1,200 kilometers above Earth, and geostationary satellites at 35,000 kilometers could keep Ukraine connected. Eutelsat asserts that it could provide the same level of service across Europe as Starlink.
Eutelsat’s system would probably be the best option Europe currently has in an emergency. Satellite expert Knopp believes that OneWeb’s low-Earth satellites alone would provide significantly less bandwidth than Starlink, simply because there are fewer of them. However, in combination with higher satellites, the system could actually achieve a similar level of performance. Yet this will probably also make it less user-friendly. Because satellites at different altitudes are used for the connection, users would first have to select the right one for their purposes, which requires prior knowledge, says Knopp.
Things weren’t looking good for OneWeb at the time.
Despite these limitations, Eutelsat’s share price has risen sharply since the dispute between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump escalated and EU states decided to spend hundreds of billions on armaments.
Things weren’t looking good for OneWeb at the time. Before the merger with Eutelsat, the company had to file for bankruptcy in 2020 and was rescued by the British government with taxpayers’ money. With the start of the Ukraine war, it then lost the ability to launch its satellites into orbit from Russian territory and was dependent on — of all things — its competitor, Musk’s SpaceX.
Now the company’s hour may have come. Even if Eutelsat OneWeb cannot yet compete with Starlink in terms of the size of its satellite fleet, this shows the strengthening of a European competitor and a development towards more European autonomy, says Andrea Rotter, head of foreign and security policy at the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
Geopolitical dependencies
The idea of a European satellite internet network isn’t new. In 2022, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU launched IRIS², a project to create its own satellite constellation in low and medium Earth orbit. The plan involves more than €10 billion in investment — mostly public funds.
“We need secure infrastructure in Europe, and satellites are a critical part of that,” said Anna Christmann, the German government’s space policy coordinator, in early 2023. The goal: reduce geopolitical dependencies.
But progress has been slow. A contract with an industrial consortium was only signed in December 2024, and Eutelsat is contributing €2 billion. The full network isn’t expected to be operational until 2030. In other words, it won’t help with the current crisis.
Too little, too late?
The Ukraine war is the first major conflict where commercial space infrastructure plays a decisive role, says Rotter, from the Seidel Foundation. Private companies like SpaceX are now driving innovation in space technology, a domain once dominated by governments.
Europe’s growing involvement in satellite communications is a step in the right direction, but “it’s too little, too late.” IRIS² is supposed to enhance Europe’s strategic autonomy, but that remains a long-term goal.
Another EU initiative, Govsatcom, is pooling satellite capacities from member states. Kyiv has reportedly expressed interest in joining.
Knopp notes that Govsatcom primarily relies on geostationary satellites, which rotate in sync with Earth. While these are effective for many applications, they’re less suited for military operations that require instantaneous internet, such as tracking mobile targets. However, since Europe already has a strong geostationary satellite network, Knopp believes it’s worth exploring where these systems might be sufficient.
Still, Europe’s biggest issue remains material: “We simply don’t have enough hardware in orbit,” Knopp says. “And that’s not something we can fix overnight.” A system like Starlink takes years to build.
“This is Europe’s best bet, but we have to do it now.
Eutelsat OneWeb is expanding, having recently ordered new “state-of-the-art” satellites from Airbus. These will eventually be integrated into IRIS². “It’s the same key players,” Knopp points out.
Various companies have ambitious plans, including Germany’s Rivada, which is developing a satellite system that could operate without fixed ground stations, unlike Starlink. To achieve a Starlink-like system as quickly as possible, Knopp suggests Europe should invest in OneWeb now and provide state funding to Eutelsat. “This is Europe’s best bet, but we have to do it now.”
