Europe's Four Big Carriers Explore Joint Satellite-to-Phone Plan
Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone have signed a letter of intent to explore a joint bid for Mobile Satellite Services spectrum to bring direct-to-device service to Europe. Direct-to-device means an ordinary phone connects to a satellite when no cell tower is in reach. The document covers a possible joint application for future allocation. No final bid has been filed.
Each operator confirmed the agreement in its own newsroom. Vodafone confirms that Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone signed a letter of intent to explore a joint bid for Mobile Satellite Services spectrum. Telefónica confirms the four signed a letter of intent to explore a potential joint bid for future allocation. Deutsche Telekom hosts a release about a plan to jointly apply, while Orange hosts a release about exploring a joint bid for Mobile Satellite Services spectrum and advancing direct-to-device services. Orange
Under the model being considered, the four operators would build and run the ground systems that link satellites into the mobile network, while a separate satellite partner still to be chosen would supply the fleet in orbit. The Verge The work is split in two. Ground duties stay with the carriers. Space duties sit elsewhere. Nothing more has been said about how that partner will be picked.
The operators plan to locate that ground infrastructure and the coordination and monitoring work in Europe, without buying or building their own satellites. The Verge The location point is explicit. Ground systems and supervision would be European. Ownership of the constellation would not be.
In May, the EU said it was considering reserving part of the 2 GHz band, a slice of radio frequencies used for mobile links, for European companies to offer satellite services. The Verge That possible reservation is the regulatory opening this letter anticipates. Spectrum access comes first. Service design follows.
The broader context here is why four competitors would build once instead of four times. A joint bid would pool the work of building and running shared ground systems rather than duplicating it country by country. It would also put coordination and monitoring under one framework. For direct-to-device, where satellite links must interwork with terrestrial networks, one coordination point is simpler to run than four parallel ones.
In my view, talk of competition with SpaceX's Starlink should be read as structural rather than technical. The confirmed facts describe support for European direct-to-device satellite competition with Starlink. They do not give service speeds, coverage timelines, or constellation design. What the letter does describe is a different ownership pattern. European operators would hold spectrum access and ground operations. A satellite partner would provide the constellation. Accountability for running the service would sit with the ground segment and monitoring functions.
Looking at what this means for technology leaders, the next decision is the satellite partner. That choice will shape how the ground infrastructure is specified and how coordination is done in practice. It will also shape talks with regulators over use of any reserved spectrum. Keeping investment on ground systems the carriers already understand limits capital needs. It avoids creating a new space operator. It keeps options open on space technology while securing a position in spectrum and operations.
In practical terms for users, the promise being explored is continuity. Terrestrial networks stop. Satellite coverage continues. Standard phones keep working outside cell range. That outcome is not yet secured. A letter of intent is an intent. Allocation must happen. A partner must be chosen. Systems must be built and coordinated. The direction points toward extending the mobile network carriers already run, anchored in Europe, rather than leaving direct-to-device entirely to systems controlled elsewhere.
