CEO says EU’s IRIS2 must match Starlink on price and performance
By Cygnus | 13 Feb 2026
Summary
Europe’s €10.6 billion IRIS2 satellite programme must compete on price and performance to win customers, Eutelsat chief executive Jean-François Fallacher said, as telecom operators benchmark the EU-backed constellation directly against SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper. The remarks highlight the commercial test facing Europe’s flagship sovereign connectivity initiative.
PARIS, Feb 14 — Europe’s planned IRIS2 satellite constellation will need to offer competitive pricing and performance to succeed commercially, Eutelsat chief executive Jean-François Fallacher said, underscoring the market realities confronting the European Union’s flagship space project.
“In my opinion, customers are expecting competitive services and competitive prices,” Fallacher told reporters.
Telecom operators emphasise market benchmarks
Executives from Orange and Deutsche Telekom — subcontractors in the consortium building IRIS2 — said at an industry event in January that the programme must deliver performance levels close to SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network.
Both operators reiterated their support for IRIS2, which is expected to begin operations around 2029. However, they stressed that customers will ultimately choose satellite providers based on performance, security and cost.
Orange said Europe should avoid fragmentation in satellite connectivity and align efforts behind a single competitive solution. Deutsche Telekom added that IRIS2 is being developed with those commercial benchmarks in mind.
€10.6 billion strategic investment
The IRIS2 programme carries an estimated budget of approximately €10.6 billion and is intended to provide secure connectivity for governments, businesses and citizens across Europe.
Fallacher described the investment as substantial but necessary for a constellation of that scale, noting that long-term success will depend on commercial competitiveness rather than political backing alone.
For Europe, IRIS2 represents a strategic effort to build sovereign space infrastructure amid growing reliance on U.S.-based satellite operators.
OneWeb upgrade and intensifying competition
Eutelsat, which owns the OneWeb LEO satellite network, plans to launch next-generation satellites alongside IRIS2 after 2030, Fallacher said.
The current OneWeb fleet of around 600 satellites — while effective in serving remote and polar regions — is based on technology developed nearly a decade ago. The second-generation satellites are expected to deliver improved capacity and performance.
Meanwhile, Starlink has deployed roughly 9,000 satellites globally, while Amazon continues preparations for large-scale launches under its Project Kuiper programme, intensifying competition in the global satellite broadband market.
Commercial test ahead
As IRIS2 moves toward deployment, its viability will depend on whether it can compete on service quality, reliability and pricing in a market already dominated by established U.S. providers.
The message from telecom leaders is clear: strategic autonomy alone will not guarantee adoption — commercial competitiveness will.
Why this matters
IRIS2 is not just a connectivity project; it is a strategic infrastructure initiative aimed at reducing Europe’s dependence on U.S.-based satellite networks.
However, satellite broadband is capital-intensive, price-sensitive and increasingly commoditised. If IRIS2 cannot match Starlink and Project Kuiper on performance and cost efficiency, European telecom operators may hesitate to commit significant customer volumes.
For investors and policymakers, the issue is whether Europe can build sovereign infrastructure that is both strategically independent and commercially viable — a balance that will shape the future of the continent’s digital autonomy.
FAQs
Q1: What is IRIS2?
IRIS2 is a European Union-backed low Earth orbit satellite constellation designed to provide secure government and commercial connectivity across Europe.
Q2: When will IRIS2 become operational?
The network is expected to begin operations around 2029.
Q3: Why must IRIS2 compete on price and performance?
Telecom operators say customers will choose satellite services based on service quality, security and cost compared with competitors such as Starlink and Project Kuiper.
Q4: Who are IRIS2’s main competitors?
SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper are the primary global rivals.
Q5: How does OneWeb fit into the strategy?
Eutelsat plans to deploy next-generation OneWeb satellites after 2030, potentially aligning capabilities with IRIS2 to strengthen Europe’s LEO footprint.
Q6: How large is the project’s budget?
The IRIS2 programme is estimated to cost approximately €10.6 billion.
