France is banking on Eutelsat as Europe’s Starlink alternative, but experts have doubts

France's Eutelsat has long been touted as a potential European alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite broadband service, and a recent investment of over 1 billion euros led by the French state has reinforced this notion. The deal, which makes the French state Eutelsat's biggest shareholder with a roughly 30% stake, demonstrates France's view of Eutelsat as a strategic asset in the EU's push for technological sovereignty. However, experts remain skeptical about Eutelsat's ability to challenge Starlink's dominance in the European market. With a current market capitalization of 1.6 billion euros, Eutelsat lags far behind Starlink's estimated value of $350 billion, and its constellation of 650 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites is dwarfed by Starlink's 7,600-strong global satellite constellation. The significant investment gap between Eutelsat and Starlink is a major hurdle for the European company to overcome. According to Luke Kehoe, an industry analyst at network monitoring firm Ookla, Eutelsat's chances of achieving parity with Starlink in the mass-market satellite broadband segment within the next five years remain limited. Joe Gardiner, a research analyst at market research firm CCS Insight, agrees, noting that Eutelsat needs to increase the number of satellites in space to offer greater capacity and coverage, a task made more difficult by the fact that many of OneWeb's satellites are nearing the end of their lifespan and will need to be replaced before growing the constellation's size. Furthermore, Eutelsat's technical architectures and orbital designs are ultimately different from Starlink's, with the OneWeb constellation currently using a bent-pipe architecture that is not as capable as Starlink satellites. Despite these challenges, Eutelsat is well-positioned to succeed in European-sovereign, security-sensitive, and enterprise segments that prioritize jurisdictional control and sovereignty over raw constellation capacity. The company's use of geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, which orbit the earth at a much higher altitude than LEO satellites, allows for specialized use cases such as polar coverage for companies and research facilities in remote regions. Eutelsat's former CEO Eva Berneke has admitted that the company cannot yet match Starlink's scale, and the company's plans to build upon its operational improvements with a differentiated go-to-market model and strong European anchoring will be crucial in establishing itself as a viable alternative to Starlink. The implications of Eutelsat's potential success or failure are significant, particularly in the context of European technological sovereignty. France's Emmanuel Macron has urged Europe to ramp up its investment in space, citing its importance as a gauge of international power. The company's potential to replace Starlink in Europe, particularly in countries such as Ukraine, is also a major factor. While Eutelsat has been rumoured to be in the running to replace Starlink in Ukraine, the company's current capabilities are limited, and it would require significant investment to match Starlink's scale. Nevertheless, Eutelsat's commitment to building a European alternative to Starlink is a step in the right direction, and its potential to succeed in niche markets could have significant implications for the future of satellite broadband in Europe. As the global space race continues to heat up, Eutelsat's ability to challenge Starlink's dominance will be closely watched. While the company faces significant challenges, its strategic importance to the EU's push for technological sovereignty and its potential to succeed in niche markets make it a major player in the European satellite broadband market. With the French state's investment, Eutelsat has been given a significant boost, and its plans to build upon its operational improvements will be crucial in establishing itself as a viable alternative to Starlink. Ultimately, the success or failure of Eutelsat will have significant implications for the future of satellite broadband in Europe and the EU's ability to establish itself as a major player in the global space race. In conclusion, while Eutelsat faces significant challenges in its bid to challenge Starlink's dominance, the company's strategic importance to the EU's push for technological sovereignty and its potential to succeed in niche markets make it a major player in the European satellite broadband market. With significant investment and a clear plan for growth, Eutelsat could establish itself as a viable alternative to Starlink, providing a much-needed boost to the EU's technological sovereignty and its ability to compete in the global space race. As the space race continues to evolve, Eutelsat's success or failure will be closely watched, and its implications for the future of satellite broadband in Europe will be significant.