The European satellite operator Eutelsat currently cannot fully compete with Starlink in Ukraine.

This is reported by Politico.

"If we were to take on all the communication capacity for Ukraine, it would be impossible," said CEO Eva Berneke. "However, we can meet key government needs."

Currently, Starlink provides critical communication for the military, hospitals, and government entities. In March, Elon Musk warned that "the entire front line could collapse" if he disconnects Starlink in Ukraine.

The European Union is exploring options to diversify access to satellite communication, including through Eutelsat. However, the company admits that it cannot fully replace Musk's system.

According to Eva, the current reliance on Starlink could be resolved "at the White House or at [Trump's private residence] Mar-a-Lago."

The key issue is the lack of investments in low Earth orbit satellites, which provide fast communication with minimal latency, critical for the military and drones.

Starlink has over 7,000 satellites, while Eutelsat only has 600. "I don’t think we need to get close to that number, but you could think about having at least a couple of thousand… to have a backup in critical locations," Berneke added.

She also emphasized: "The last few weeks have shown that to ensure military and government communication, multiple sources are necessary."

The company is currently negotiating with the EU for funding new satellite launches and increasing the number of terminals for users in Ukraine.

Also read: Satellite blackmail: what happens if Starlink is turned off in Ukraine.

Reminder:

The German government has been financing access for Ukraine to satellite internet from Eutelsat for about a year, which also owns the OneWeb network.

Eutelsat announced that it is in talks with European governments to provide additional satellite communication in Ukraine, as investors believe the French satellite operator could replace Musk's Starlink in the country.