Starlink Alternatives - Already in Ukraine

All the hype about the well-known Silicon Valley products is intended to hide the fact that there are real alternatives out there. Starlink, SpaceX, Twitter, and all the others are not irreplaceable.

The French communications company Eutelsat already has 2,000 oneweb terminals in Ukraine and can replace the 40,000 or so Starlink terminals within a short time frame. The company has several thousand terminals in stock and their subcontractor Airbus can produce more of them for delivery within months. Obviously, this a technical and functional observation, there are still things that must be handled such as financing, logistics, training etc. However, Starlink is not unique, it can be replaced.

NATO partners and EU countries are already deep in the process of taking stock of alternatives to US products, because of the degradation of US leadership. It may seem surprising for observers outside the military and technical communities but there are fully viable products available for replacement or expansion outside the US product ranges.

In an interview with Bloomberg, the CEO of French satellite company Eutelsat, stated that the company could replace Starlink in Ukraine within ‘a few months’. Eutelsat is the largest satellite company in EU and currently the only one to offer low orbit connections similar to Starlink. The main obstacle is manufacturing bottlenecks for the ground terminals as it ramps up production. Eutelsat is eager to see the reality of strong EU investments in their technology. Its system enables communication signals to be received on small, easily concealable devices and, thanks to its satellites' low orbit, ensures minimal signal latency - features essential for military use.

The CEO, Eva Berneke, has been with Eutelsat since 2022 and has held similar positions in leading Danish telecoms and technology companies. She is on the boards of international groups Lego and Vestas Wind Systems as well as France’s Ecole Polytechnique.

Interview with Eva Berneke CEO of Eutelsat. Screenshot from Bloomberg YouTube

Projecting power with technology

Starlink is just one example that happens to come up relatively often, because Musk undeniably has a want to project power with the help of technology that he controls.

In general, because of the very effective marketing of US high tech products, the press often carries the easily told story as if it was total dominance. Foreign producers may not be clever enough in hyping their product onto the market, at the same time.

There is so much hype about Musk and other Silicon Valley tycoon controlled technology that it often obscures the realities and potentials of the market. Consumers and auto experts are realizing that Tesla is overhyped and there are alternatives of better conception, design, build quality and usability. That’s the way competition works. With Starlink, it is painted as a unique offering - a monopoly - while there are other options, some already marketed for years and some underway. With SpaceX, it is hyped as fast and efficient compared to others, but it is now realized that this comes at the expense of accepting a higher risk profile, leading to FAA attempting to impose controls.

Eutelsat oneweb low orbit satelite. Photo credit: Eutelsat Group

Ontario has cancelled, Italy unsure

Ontario Premier Dough Ford cancelled its 100 million CAD Starlink deal in early March. This leaves the province now searching for a solution, so that will not have to leave northern communities in digital limbo. 'Broadband Internet will be available for all Ontarians, no matter where you are in Ontario' said Province Minister in charge to CBC News on 6 March. However, they may want to find a more permanent, terrestrial solution that will also have faster speeds than the satellites.

In the Italian Senate, the Minister for Relations with Parliament, Luca Ciriani, said about the delay in deciding on Starlink or alternatives denied that a ‘technical operational schedule for the study of the concession to Starlink of the management of the connection and telecommunications infrastructures of the Italian diplomatic offices or the mobile stations of the Italian military ships’ had been established at the Presidency of the Council (Meloni, ed.). Senato Tv 13 March