Photo: Getty images
Ukraine has gained a powerful digital union on the European front. As Reuters has found out, the German government is privately funding Ukraine’s access to high-speed satellite internet from the French company Eutelsat, which is gradually becoming an alternative to American billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink.
This was stated by Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke, noting that their system has been operating in Ukraine for almost a year through a German distributor, and that access is paid for by the German government.
“Currently, there are less than a thousand Eutelsat terminals in Ukraine, but we plan to expand rapidly to 5-10 thousand in the coming weeks,” Berneke said.
By comparison, Starlink has about 50,000 terminals on Ukrainian territory, but Eutelsat (through its OneWeb division) is considered the main competitor due to the use of low-orbit satellites that allow it to transmit a stable signal even to remote and frontline regions, as well as to maritime facilities and military equipment.
So far, Germany has not officially commented on the funding, but Eutelsat has confirmed that the purchase of new terminals is being discussed. According to the company’s spokeswoman Joanna Darlington, “it is not yet clear whether the EU or individual countries will fund further deliveries.”
This support could be critical to Ukraine’s military and civilian resilience, as controlling the internet in frontline areas is a matter of operational command, security and humanitarian aid.
