- Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, and Vodafone signed a letter of intent to explain the development of a European constellation
- This could work as an alternative to Starlink, and allow networks to plug coverage gaps with satellites
- However, they still need a satellite partner to deliver such a plan
Starlink has big mobile ambitions, apparently seeing itself as a real competitor to conventional carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile in the US. But in Europe, mobile operators could look to offer a Starlink alternative.
Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, and Vodafone have all signed a letter of intent to “explore a potential joint bid for the future allocation of spectrum for Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) in Europe.”
So, in other words, they can work together to allocate spectrum to a satellite-based connectivity service, to increase its coverage in areas where the masts and other ground-based infrastructure currently do not reach.
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Such a service would put them in direct competition with Starlink, which has teamed up with the likes of T-Mobile in the US and O2 in the UK to plug coverage gaps in their networks, and which has ambitions to launch a standalone carrier.
A long way away
But it is still very early for this European initiative. The letter of intent is simply to explore a potential offer – wording that suggests nothing is set in stone. And even if these carriers jointly allocate this spectrum, they still have to “build key core network infrastructure” to go along with it.
And above all, they need access to a satellite constellation, and while part of the intention here is to “support the development of a European constellation”, they don’t actually plan to build a constellation themselves; rather, they are looking for a satellite partner.
So don’t expect to see a European Starlink alternative anytime soon, but it sounds like there could be one sometime in the future – and this is a move that makes sense, given Europe’s ongoing attempt to reduce its reliance on US services.
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