Four of Europe’s largest mobile operators — Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, France’s Orange, Spain’s Telefónica and UK-headquartered Vodafone — confirmed on Monday 19 October that they had signed a letter of intent to explore a joint bid for mobile satellite spectrum in Europe, according to Anadolu Agency. At stake is who gets to sell satellite internet directly to the handsets Europeans already carry.
Reports conflict on whether AST SpaceMobile has been chosen as the satellite partner. The group does not intend to own spacecraft, and the supplier is the one piece still missing. finance.biggo reports that AST SpaceMobile, the Texas-based satellite-to-phone company, has signed its own letter of intent with the four carriers to explore a joint bid. Anadolu Agency, Silicon Republic and the industry blog shattered.io all say no satellite partner has been selected. On the evidence available, the AST claim is unconfirmed.
Who says what about AST SpaceMobile
| Source | Type | Claim on AST involvement |
|---|---|---|
| finance.biggo | Finance news aggregator | AST signed its own letter of intent with the four carriers |
| Anadolu Agency | Turkish state news agency | No satellite partner selected |
| Silicon Republic | Irish tech news outlet | No satellite partner selected |
| shattered.io | Industry blog | No provider named in any official statement |
Key facts
- The letter of intent covers the future allocation of Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) spectrum in Europe; no licence has been awarded, finance.biggo reports.
- The four operators would build ground network infrastructure plus coordination, control and monitoring functions in Europe, while a satellite partner provides the constellation.
- All mobile network operators would get what the companies call “open and non-discriminatory access”, not just the four signatories.
- Talks of a joint bid were first reported by Bloomberg in September, according to Silicon Republic.
Why it matters
MSS spectrum is the slice of radio frequency that lets an ordinary smartphone talk directly to a satellite without special hardware, shattered.io explains, unlike traditional satellite phones that need a dedicated handset and antenna. Control of that spectrum in Europe decides who can sell satellite coverage to phones already in people’s pockets.
None of the four reports gives pricing detail, but the outcome shapes both Starlink’s availability and its price in Europe: if the EU reserves part of the band for local operators, SpaceX’s direct-to-phone service would reach European customers largely through carrier plans rather than as a Starlink subscription sold on its own terms.
Silicon Republic reports that the partnership could rival Starlink’s dominance over the bloc’s satellite spectrum. Goldman Sachs analyst Andrew Lee told finance.biggo the move “once again sends a reassuring signal to investors: European telecom operators see satellite communications as a complement to their domestic ground networks, while European regulators want to carve out dedicated spectrum for European companies.”
The spectrum on the table
The bid targets airwaves whose current assignments are running out. Rights granted in 2009 and held by the US operators Viasat and EchoStar come due in May 2027, finance.biggo reports, and the European Commission proposed EU-wide licensing rules on 27 May 2026.
Under that proposal, a 2 x 30 MHz block would be divided into six paired 5 MHz segments: one third for EU-controlled governmental communications tied to the IRIS² constellation, one third reserved for EU commercial services, and one third open to both EU and non-EU qualifying operators. Silicon Republic frames the same process as the EU selecting providers authorised to use the 2 GHz band beyond 2027, and says the four carriers are bidding for airwaves the EU plans to reserve for local operators. Those reservations sit alongside Europe’s own constellation plans.
The missing satellite partner
finance.biggo reports that AST SpaceMobile is developing a European joint venture called Satellite Connect Europe and is building ground infrastructure to link its BlueBird satellites to mobile networks while keeping data and service operations under European jurisdiction. shattered.io says none of the official statements from the carriers names a provider — not Starlink, AST SpaceMobile, Eutelsat OneWeb or Lynk Global.
Two of the four signatories already have their own satellite relationships: Vodafone through a joint venture with AST SpaceMobile, and Deutsche Telekom through reported discussions with Starlink Mobile. Silicon Republic, citing the Financial Times, says the partner question could become a problem for the bid because most satellites in the region are operated by US or Chinese companies.
Why the carriers are staying out of orbit
finance.biggo links that reluctance to Europe’s funding picture, citing a European Space Agency finding that private space investment in Europe fell 8% to €1.4bn (about $1.6bn) in 2025 while global investment jumped 60%. The outlet reports the structure spares the carriers the capital burden of a constellation but leaves them dependent on a non-European supplier for spacecraft and launches.
Washington pushes back
The Commission’s plan has become a transatlantic flashpoint. Silicon Republic reports that US ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder told the Financial Times European companies would face “devastating” retaliation if the bloc kept restricting US rivals; the outlet places the interview earlier this month, while finance.biggo dates the warning to last week. Either way, Washington has warned of retaliation over the 2 GHz plan.
SpaceX, which Silicon Republic says currently provides Starlink satellite broadband to much of Europe, said in June the proposal could create “global interference problems, including to emergency services like those in Ukraine”.
The wider market
finance.biggo notes a parallel US move this month, with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile launching a joint venture to combine spectrum in rural areas and dead zones, and cites Gartner projecting the low-earth-orbit direct-to-device market will reach $20.2bn by 2030.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast is satellite-to-phone service at the moment?
According to finance.biggo, AST SpaceMobile’s satellites have demonstrated download speeds of up to 98.9 Mbps to standard smartphones, with next-generation models expected to approach 200 Mbps. The same report says the technology is currently more about holding a connection than delivering high speed, citing US tests in which roughly 90% of text messages got through even from moving vehicles.
Does the letter of intent affect Deutsche Telekom’s existing work with Starlink?
No. All four operators said the letter of intent does not replace their existing satellite partnerships, as reported by Anadolu Agency and finance.biggo. Silicon Republic notes SpaceX already has a partnership with Deutsche Telekom to provide direct-to-device services in the EU, something it cannot do independently.
Could the current licence holders stay on after 2027?
Possibly. finance.biggo states that the European Commission’s proposal has not been finalised and that, under it, the incumbent licence holders could receive a two-year extension.
How far ahead of European operators is Starlink?
finance.biggo reports that SpaceX’s network currently counts more than 11,000 satellites in orbit, while the French operator Eutelsat has built a sizable constellation but trails Starlink by a wide margin. It also cites Ookla measuring Starlink at 97.1% of global satellite Speedtest samples in the third quarter of 2025, a figure that reflects satellite broadband testing rather than direct-to-device market share.
Follow Starlink News on Google. Make us a preferred source to see more of our reporting in Google search results.
