The plan would connect smartphones directly to satellites under European governance Four of Europe’s biggest mobile operators have joined forces to explore launching satellite-to-mobile services that could challenge Elon Musk's Starlink, as the EU pushes for greater technological independence from US firms. Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone said on Monday they had signed a letter of intent to explore a joint bid for satellite spectrum that would enable compatible smartphones to connect directly to satellites without relying on traditional mobile towers. Under the plan, the four companies would establish the ground infrastructure needed to support satellite-to-mobile services while partnering with a satellite operator to provide connectivity from space, without investing directly in a satellite constellation. The satellite partner has yet to be selected. The initiative comes amid growing concerns in Europe over the continent’s reliance on American companies for critical communications infrastructure. “The initiative supports the European Commission’s ambition to strengthen Europe's sovereignty, security and resilience in critical connectivity infrastructure,” the four operators said in a joint statement. “It will ensure responsible European governance of key space infrastructure,” they added. Starlink under scrutiny The announcement comes amid growing controversy surrounding Starlink, operated by SpaceX, the aerospace company led by US billionaire Elon Musk. Ukraine has relied heavily on Starlink terminals for civilian and military communications since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, particularly in areas where conventional networks have been damaged or destroyed. However, disruptions to satellite communications in Ukraine this month have raised fresh concerns about the country’s dependence on the US-controlled network. The disruptions, linked to restrictions affecting terminals moving at high speeds, have reportedly hampered Ukrainian drone operations, although US President Donald Trump has denied that the United States imposed the restrictions. The controversy has highlighted the risks of relying on foreign-controlled satellite infrastructure for critical communications. Brussels has been pushing to develop its own satellite capabilities, including the planned IRIS² constellation, which is intended to provide secure communications for European governments and other users. Eutelsat, which operates Europe’s largest low Earth orbit broadband network, OneWeb, has a far smaller constellation than Starlink, which has more than 11,000 satellites in orbit.
