EU Looks to Replace Starlink for Ukraine with European Satellite Systems

The European Union is in talks with four European satellite communication providers to find an alternative to Starlink for Ukraine’s defence forces. The companies involved in the discussions include Luxembourg based SES, Spain’s Hisdesat, British company Viasat, and the French British operator Eutelsat OneWeb. The Financial Times reports that while negotiations are progressing, replacing Starlink would be difficult, as launching enough satellites to maintain constant high speed connectivity requires significant investment.

Miguel Ángel García Primo, CEO of Hisdesat, confirmed that discussions are ongoing, though it remains uncertain whether Hisdesat can meet the technical demands. Luc Palermo Serra, a research director at Analysys Mason, noted that while alternative systems exist, no single provider or combination of providers currently matches the capabilities of Starlink. SES CEO Adel Al Saleh and Viasat representatives, however, expressed confidence that European systems could still provide the connectivity needed for Ukraine’s military operations, including drone guidance and battlefield communications.

Efforts to reduce reliance on Starlink have been ongoing as part of broader European initiatives. The European Commission has been working on GovSatCom, a shared network using existing EU government satellites, which Ukraine has expressed interest in adopting. The IRIS² satellite constellation is also being considered, but as its deployment is only expected in the 2030s, it is not a short term solution. GovSatCom is expected to be operational this year, though it will serve only as a temporary measure until a more comprehensive European system is in place.