Berlin finances Ukraine’s access to satellite Internet provided by the French company Eutelsat. Thus, Europe is looking to reduce its dependence on Elon Musk’s Starlink. The general director of Eutelsat, Eva Bernecke, told about it. informs Reuters.

Eva Bernecke noted that the company has been providing Ukraine with high-speed satellite Internet services through a German distribution partner for about a year. The project is financed by the German government, but Bernecke refused to disclose its cost.

Today, less than a thousand Eutelsat terminals are installed in Ukraine — much less compared to approximately 50 thousand Starlink terminals. However, according to Bernecke, this number is gradually increasing. The company plans to deliver another 5,000 to 10,000 devices to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Eutelsat OneWeb, a subsidiary of the company, is a key competitor of Starlink in the field of providing satellite Internet based on satellites placed in low Earth orbit. This allows for efficient data transmission and quality coverage in rural areas, on sea vessels and in war zones.

Earlier, Eutelsat reported that it was conducting negotiations with the European Union regarding the expansion of Ukraine’s access to satellite Internet. Negotiations with Brussels regarding support for Ukraine continue in an active mode, mostly within the framework of the consortium working on the long-term IRIS2 satellite project with the support of the European Union. This consortium also includes Eutelsat.