- cross-posted to:
- worldnews@lemmit.online
- cross-posted to:
- worldnews@lemmit.online
The Italian government is having growing doubts about closing a €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink in light of the US pullback from commitments to European security, people familiar with the matter said.
Possible alternatives to Starlink for secure satellite-based communications to the government include Eutelsat Communications SA, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are confidential. Musk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, is also seen as an unreliable partner by some in Meloni’s administration, they said.
A spokesperson for the Italian government declined to comment. SpaceX, which owns Starlink, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Soon there willl be not just Eutelsat it seems:
Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile to provide space-based broadband in Europe
That’s actually pretty cool. And I’d say a competitive advantage. Everyone already owns a compatible “base station”
https://www.vodafone.com/news/technology/vodafone-ast-spacemobile-world-first-space-based-5g-call-conventional-smartphone
An unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone.
LTE 4G. A game changer.
https://www.vodafone.com/news/technology/vodafone-makes-historic-satellite-video-call-from-a-smartphone
A single gateway can serve the entire UK???