The EU Plans to Provide Ukraine with a Replacement for Starlink, but There Are Problems – Le Monde

The European Union is considering connecting Ukraine to the commercial capacity of its secure satellite communications system, Govsatcom, starting in early 2027, to reduce its dependence on Elon Musk’s Starlink network.

The Govsatcom program pools the resources of government satellites to provide a secure data transmission channel. Meanwhile, the deployment of a full-fledged counterpart to Starlink—Europe’s own secure satellite communications system, IRIS—is scheduled to be completed by 2029. At the same time, officials in Brussels have expressed doubts about whether interim commercial solutions will be able to fully replace the capabilities of the Starshield system—a specialized military version of the Starlink network currently used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Source: Le Monde.

On the night of October 14, SpaceX imposed speed limits on Starlink terminals for the StarShield military service package. This was reported by electronic warfare specialist Serhiy Flesh, who specified that the limit is 100 miles per hour (about 161 km/h). According to Serhiy Sternenko, an activist, volunteer, and former advisor to the Minister of Defense, this disrupted several important missions. However, the limit has since dropped even lower, to 60–70 km/h.

In the Huliaipole sector, units of the 7th Corps of the Airborne Assault Forces reported problems with Starlink connectivity on the night of October 14 due to data transmission speed limitations. This affected drone control and led to the cancellation of some combat missions.