Demand for alternative satellite services from U.S. businesses and the Pentagon remains strong, according to Eutelsat CEO Jean-Francois Fallacher. This resilience persists despite SpaceX's recent request to U.S. regulators to restrict market access for European rivals.
SpaceX had urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to limit foreign operators whose governments allegedly disadvantage U.S. companies. Fallacher acknowledged the evolving geopolitical landscape and American companies lobbying for regulatory changes, but stated, "We have appetite in the U.S." He emphasized that both businesses and the Department of Defense seek alternative solutions for reliability and redundancy.
Eutelsat, a key European competitor to SpaceX's Starlink, supplies satellite services to the U.S. Department of Defense indirectly. The company is also in discussions regarding hosting Earth observation and communication payloads on its satellites with U.S. clients.