AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon announced an agreement on October 1, 2026, to expand satellite-enabled connectivity in underserved U.S. areas, with direct-to-device (D2D) access as an initial focus. Europe’s options serve different roles: OneWeb is an operating wholesale network, while the European Union’s IRIS² is a planned secure-communications program. Neither is a like-for-like consumer broadband service in the Starlink model.
What the U.S. carriers agreed to
The agreement pairs three mobile carriers on satellite-enabled connectivity. The companies said their initial focus would be improving D2D access and closing coverage gaps, with common technical specifications as a goal. Existing agreements between the carriers and satellite providers can continue independently.
D2D means a satellite connection links directly to a device. The U.S. venture is a mobile-connectivity partnership, distinct from Starlink’s direct-to-consumer satellite broadband service.
Europe’s operating and planned options
OneWeb is the operating European-linked option described in the reporting, but its business model is wholesale and business-to-business (B2B). It supplies connectivity through organizations such as governments, defense groups, airlines, shipping companies and telecom operators, rather than selling directly to individual consumers.
IRIS² is a separate European Union program intended chiefly for secure government, military and diplomatic communications. Science communicator Alex Riveiro described that focus in a December 2024 explainer and identified SpaceRISE, led by Eutelsat, Hispasat and SES, as the consortium delivering the program.
Business Insider España reported in October 2026 that IRIS² was planned to include 348 satellites, with first launches expected in 2029 and full operations in 2030. Those are program targets, not completed milestones.
Where the European D2D proposal stands
Expansion proposed a European D2D initiative involving Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom, Orange and Vodafone. Its proposed model would combine satellite links with terrestrial networks to extend connectivity to places such as remote rural areas, mountains and the sea. RTVE Noticias reported on October 20, 2026, that a possible satellite alliance was under study.
That proposal is a different track from both OneWeb’s wholesale service and the U.S. carriers’ announced agreement. The three efforts differ in purpose and stage: an operating wholesale network, a planned EU program, and a proposed mobile-operator initiative.
What Eutelsat’s Ukraine estimate says
In a March 6, 2025, Bloomberg Television interview, Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke estimated that logistics for 40,000 terminals in Ukraine could take a couple of months. She also said capacity could at least double or triple within weeks.
