Significantly cheaper than IRIS2: Italy's government wants to book Starlink
According to a report, Italy is negotiating a deal with SpaceX to provide secure communication via Starlink. The EU is planning an alternative.
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The Italian government is reportedly negotiating a multi-billion dollar deal with SpaceX to provide a secure telecommunications infrastructure via Starlink. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources familiar with the talks. At a cost of USD 1.6 billion over five years, it would be the most expensive such project in Europe, writes the US financial magazine. Intelligence agencies and the Ministry of Defense have already agreed, but negotiations have nevertheless stalled. However, following a visit by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to the next US President Donald Trump, there has now been renewed movement on the matter.
Concern for domestic providers
According to Bloomberg, the aim of the agreement is to provide an encrypted infrastructure via which the government can communicate. The military in the Mediterranean region should also be able to use it. Thanks to direct connections from smartphones to Starlink satellites, authorities should also remain reachable in otherwise cut-off areas in the event of a disaster. Negotiations have been underway since 2023, with one major counter-argument being that a deal would be detrimental to Italian providers. Neither the government nor SpaceX have commented on the report.
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SpaceX has been building its Starlink satellite internet since 2019, with almost 7,000 satellites now providing fast internet connections in many countries. Elon Musk's company is a pioneer in this field, and there are now several projects that are set to work in a similar way in the future. The European Union is also planning a Starlink initiative; IRIS2 is currently one of the EU's most important space projects. One of the aims is to ensure Europe's digital sovereignty, also in view of the increasingly unpredictable actions of SpaceX boss Elon Musk. According to Bloomberg, however, IRIS2 would cost Italy significantly more than the Starlink deal.
(mho)
