On October 19, 2026, Bloomberg and Cadena SER reported that Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom, Orange and Vodafone had agreed to take an initial step toward a consortium and were exploring a joint bid for European satellite spectrum. The effort is intended to strengthen European satellite autonomy and compete with Starlink, but the reported action remains exploratory. (Bloomberg; Cadena SER)
What the operators are exploring
Cadena SER calls the initiative Project Bromo and reports that the four operators signed a letter expressing their intention to bid jointly. Bloomberg describes their agreement as a step toward creating a consortium. Together, the accounts put the group at the stage of exploring a joint bid. Cadena SER also reported that the European Commission spent a year addressing potential competition issues before formal notification of the project. (Cadena SER; Bloomberg)
Bloomberg identifies the target as a share of satellite-access spectrum in the 2 GHz band. Its report says an EU proposal would reserve one-third of the band for a local operator. That would be a proposed allocation, not a completed award. Bloomberg describes the intended service as direct-to-mobile: satellite connectivity reaching mobile phones. The report does not detail how the service would work for users.
How the initiative differs from IRIS2
The carrier effort and IRIS2 have different participants and mechanisms in the accounts of the projects. The four telecom operators are exploring a bid for proposed 2 GHz spectrum. By contrast, Equipo Europa describes IRIS2 as a multiorbit EU satellite system under a 12-year concession signed with SpaceRISE in December 2024. It identifies SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat as members of SpaceRISE. (Equipo Europa)
