Bloomberg reports European talks on U.S. reliance after Starlink dispute

Bloomberg reported on Oct. 27 that European officials had intensified discussions about reducing reliance on the U.S. and American defense contractors. The report described discussions, not an adopted European Union or national policy. The European Commission’s IRIS² program is a concrete infrastructure plan, with its first satellite launches scheduled for 2029.

What European officials reportedly discussed

Bloomberg attributed the discussions to people familiar with the matter. The report said they followed a public dispute over changes to Starlink speed in Ukraine.

Bloomberg also attributed to Elon Musk the allegation that Ukraine had violated Starlink’s rules by using the service for offensive drone strikes. That is Musk’s explanation for the company’s action, as reported by Bloomberg.

IRIS² is planned for secure European connectivity

On Aug. 7, 2026, the European Commission and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an implementation agreement for IRIS². The Commission’s expanded plan calls for 348 satellites: 330 in higher low Earth orbit (LEO) and 18 in medium Earth orbit (MEO). It includes 66 additional higher-LEO satellites for defense, security and emergency services, already counted in that total.

The Commission scheduled the first launches for 2029, with early secure connectivity services expected afterward. It said the revised design would increase secure governmental capacity by 60% within the EU and 54% worldwide compared with the original plan. Those figures describe the planned system’s capacity relative to an earlier IRIS² design. The schedule puts IRIS²’s first launches in the future; it is not an operating satellite network today.

Other European satellite options

A 2025 Euronews report identified GOVSATCOM, which pools existing European space capabilities, and Eutelsat’s OneWeb constellation as other options. Europe’s satellite landscape therefore includes existing capabilities alongside a planned secure network. The reported discussions do not amount to an adopted policy to end reliance on U.S. systems, and IRIS² is still planned rather than operating.