A European Champion Competing in a World of Giants

Eutelsat stands at the centre of Europe’s space ecosystem, with a 47year legacy and a fleet of 33 geostationary satellites. The company’s strategic transformation accelerated with the acquisition of OneWeb — today one of only two operational low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations in the world.
Jean François highlighted that it remains the only LEO constellation not controlled by the US or China, giving Europe a uniquely sovereign asset. To reinforce this position, Eutelsat has secured €1.5 billion in new capital to expand the fleet by 440 satellites, bringing the constellation to roughly 650 units by 2030. “We are the sovereign European constellation. We have European shareholders. We are listed on the Paris and London stock exchanges.” He also pointed to the company’s central role in IRIS², the European Commission’s next generation secure connectivity programme. LEO activities now account for 20% of turnover and continue to grow at around 60% year over year.

Why LEO Is Essential for Europe’s Sovereignty

LEO constellations are a critical pillar for Europe’s digital autonomy. They deliver seamless global broadband and require massive, long-term investment, making them difficult to replicate.  Jean François noted that OneWeb had already absorbed seven years of development and $7 billion before Eutelsat acquired it — a reminder of its scale and strategic relevance. “[LEO constellations] are extremely large and capital-intensive infrastructures… This is why we believe LEO is a strategic asset — a strategic service — for Europe.”
He also raised the emerging opportunity of Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity, an area poised to transform the communications landscape. While Europe has strong projects underway, he stressed that achieving D2D at scale will require significant investment and a clear, unified industrial ambition.
 

Serving Governments and Critical IndustrieS

Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO constellation focuses on high reliability B2B markets — governments, aviation, maritime, enterprise and defence. A landmark €1 billion, 10year agreement with the French Ministry of Defence underscores the constellation’s strategic importance. This partnership strengthens operational access and supports further hardening of the system for defence and national-security use cases.
Recent geopolitical events continue to highlight the risks of dependency on foreign controlled connectivity. Jean François emphasised that sovereignty becomes very real when an external operator can unilaterally restrict service over a conflict zone. Eutelsat’s European governance and operational control directly address this vulnerability.

Why Europe Needs to Act Together

Europe faces global competition from large American and Chinese constellations. Jean François warned that fragmented national initiatives would undermine Europe’s ability to match this scale. A coherent and unified approach — particularly around IRIS² — is essential to maintain a sovereign position in orbit. “The geopolitical situation has given us real momentum. People now realise that sovereignty is not theoretical. When one of our competitors [,,,] decides to cut services over a country, that marks the spirit. The dependency becomes immediately visible.”
 

Europe’s Cultural Inflection Point

Europe’s technological expertise remains strong, but development speed is a critical challenge. The “new space” economy depends on agility, fast iteration and shorter development cycles. Jean François noted that Europe must adopt these practices if it is to maintain leadership and regain control over key technologies still sourced externally. “This is why Eutelsat is advocating for unity — not only around Eutelsat, but for the European project to build the next-generation constellation, IRIS². For IRIS² to succeed, we need all European countries and public funding united behind one sovereign approach.”
 

Looking Ahead

The message from MWC Barcelona is clear: Europe has the talent, industrial capability and technological foundation to lead in space — but only if it acts with unity and urgency. A sovereign LEO constellation is not just a technological milestone; it is a cornerstone of Europe’s resilience, economic strength and strategic independence. "In new space, companies are already working in agile, fast cycles. This is what Europe needs — in mindset and practice: more agility, faster development, and a culture of iteration. That’s how we will master more of the key technologies we still have to import today."

San Francisco General, one of Northern California's busiest public hospitals, must remain operational through power outages, disasters and network disruptions. Emergency departments depend on uninterrupted connectivity to coordinate patient care. To strengthen emergency readiness, Eutelsat Distribution Partner IP Access International and Remote Satellite Systems International integrated a blended satellite solution that keeps hospital communications online when traditional networks fail.

The Challenge: Maintaining Critical Communications

Emergency departments depend on continuous connectivity to coordinate patient care, yet power outages, disasters and damaged fibre lines can sever communications when they are needed most. Congested cellular networks add further risk during large-scale incidents.

The challenge is particularly acute when:

• First responders transmit vital signs, electrocardiograms and patient history from ambulances before arrival
• Health information exchange between paramedics and receiving staff requires real-time data flows
• Trauma and stroke cases demand instant coordination across departments, buildings and partner agencies
• Non-technical staff have to implement and follow complex back-up communications protocols in the event of failover

The Need: A Unified Satellite-Backed Network

San Francisco General needed connectivity to remain operational regardless of conditions on the ground, with instant failover capability, easy-to-manage controls and independence from terrestrial infrastructure. The hospital’s emergency staff needed a unified communications system that would support coordination across departments, buildings and partner agencies without introducing operational complexity.

Specifically, the hospital sought:

• Lower latency for critical applications including telehealth consultations and real-time data exchange
• Streamlined operations suitable for non-technical clinical staff working under pressure
• A resilient network architecture maintaining continuous access to electronic health records, imaging systems and external emergency coordination channels

The Solution: Blended LEO and Terrestrial Paths

The system integrates advanced satellite and terrestrial components into one unified operational network:

• A Hughes 1120W LEO Terminal for fast, low-maintenance satellite access
• A Dejero GateWay M6E6 using Smart Blending Technology™ to manage and blend multiple network paths intelligently
• SuperGIG™, delivered and supported by IP Access International, providing the orchestration layer that combines satellite and terrestrial connections into a single, resilient service

Both hospital buildings connect through a shared satellite gateway, creating a unified hub that supports continuous communication between departments, multiple campuses and external emergency agencies—even during severe disruption.

Unlike traditional failover solutions that wait for complete link failure, Smart Blending routes individual data packets across the best available network in real time—whether satellite, 5G cellular or fibre. When any single path becomes congested or unavailable, traffic seamlessly shifts without interruption. This ensures coordination remains uninterrupted around the clock through Priority Access across Verizon, T-Mobile Priority and FirstNet—critical for first responder communication and inter-hospital transfer when every second counts.

Impact: Reliability That Saves Lives

The blended network delivers continuous communications across crises, enabling paramedics to transmit real-time vital signs, ECGs and patient data through health information exchange directly to the ambulance-receiving team. Intelligent path selection ensures clinical workflow never depends on a single link, supporting rapid multi-team coordination across departments and partner agencies when every second counts. The result is future-ready infrastructure built for resilience under pressure.