Satellite network alliance against Starlink, one of the European telecom companies

According to the statement made by Germany-based telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom, a letter of intent was signed with Telefonica from Spain, Vodafone from the UK and Orange from France in order to enter into a joint radio frequency tender for mobile satellite services.

The four telecom companies that came together with the letter of intent will jointly provide the necessary ground infrastructure to establish voice and internet connections between standard mobile devices sold in the market and satellites.

The satellites that will provide communication will be supplied by a partner that has not yet been selected. Within the scope of the initiative, all European mobile network operators will be granted non-discriminatory access to the satellite network in question.

Current use licenses for the 2 GHz frequency band, which is critical for satellite communications across Europe, will expire in May 2027.

According to the legal regulatory calendar of the European Union (EU) Commission, it is envisaged that existing operators will be granted a temporary extension of maximum 2 years in order to avoid service interruptions during the transition period. Following the new tender processes at the Union level to be held in 2028-2029, frequency usage rights will be officially allocated to the winning companies for 20 years.