Michaël Trabbia, head of Orange Wholesale, has sounded an alarm about Europe's lagging position in satellite connectivity relative to American competitors. Through a LinkedIn post, Trabbia pointed to structural weaknesses in how Europe's industrial sector and purchasing processes function, arguing they cannot keep pace with the speed of technological innovation.
The emergence of SpaceX and its Starlink network has fundamentally altered the landscape, making it cheaper and faster to launch satellite constellations into low-Earth orbit. Reusable rockets have further reduced both the time and expense required to access space.
Yet Trabbia contends that Europe's problem is not a shortage of technical knowledge or manufacturing capacity. Instead, the real bottleneck lies in converting existing expertise into marketable products and services at competitive speed.
In his translated remarks, Trabbia explained: "The principle of "geographical return"- which once helped unite nations and preserve expertise across multiple countries- has become a liability when faced with SpaceX's agile, integrated model.
"Our programs continue to move at the pace of tenders and specifications finalised four or five years before the launch of a service intended to last a decade. This model no longer works against competitors who refresh their technology generations every two to three years."
Despite acknowledging Europe's current disadvantage, Trabbia pointed to recent developments that suggest recovery is achievable. He highlighted the summer agreement on IRIS², which resolved lingering questions about the initiative's viability and provided it with funding, timelines, governance structures, and committed customers.
"Europe's future dual-use constellation is beginning to take shape. It will provide ultra-secure, sovereign communications for government services, as well as high-speed connectivity for businesses and citizens," he stated.
A second avenue of progress involves direct-to-device satellite technology, which enables mobile phones to connect via satellite even in regions without ground-based network infrastructure.
"Another innovation is "Direct-to-Device" technology, which now makes it possible to connect smartphones via satellite- maintaining connectivity even in "dead zones."
"Initially, this enables text messaging, but it will extend to voice calls and, gradually, internet access. This is a major strategic issue, particularly regarding access to frequencies," Trabbia said.
In response, Europe is now planning to allocate a portion of these critical frequency resources specifically for European operators, Trabbia noted.
Trabbia clarified that this approach is not intended to lock out international players, but rather to give European companies room to build independent capabilities.
"The goal is not to ban foreign constellations, but to create the opportunity for a homegrown solution to emerge, thereby avoiding a de facto monopoly and the associated strategic risks," he remarked.
Trabbia drew a parallel to the defence industry, where urgency has already prompted manufacturers to compress development timelines and forge tighter partnerships with emerging firms. "The space sector calls for a similar mobilisation," he wrote.
"Europe currently possesses the frequencies, the expertise, and an initial joint project to regain the initiative."
Source: Mobile Europe
