Ukraine and European lawmakers explored alternatives to Starlink during the week of October 19–22, 2026, after Ukrainian officials accused SpaceX of restrictions affecting military aircraft. CNBC reported that drones and other aircraft moving faster than 100 mph lost connectivity. Its account referred to the affected service as Starshield in one passage and Starlink in another.
The search followed the October 14 restrictions. NeoTeo previously covered the reported Starlink limits in Ukraine and the dispute over who decided them. The later exploration of alternatives includes an existing reported Eutelsat terminal footprint, networks at different stages of development, and discussions involving Norway and Kongsberg.
Eutelsat had a reported terminal footprint in Ukraine
Eutelsat is more than a prospective option in the sense that terminals had already been reported in the region. DPL News reported on March 4, 2025, that Eutelsat said it had deployed and was operating hundreds of terminals in Ukraine and the Black Sea. The company did not give a precise count in that statement.
That reported footprint is distinct from battlefield suitability. Satellite consultant Christian Freiherr von der Ropp said Eutelsat terminals’ cost, size, weight, and power draw make them particularly unsuitable for battlefield use.
Amazon Leo, TeraWave, and IRIS² were at different stages
The satellite counts reported on October 22, 2026, were more than 11,000 for Starlink, more than 600 for Eutelsat, and 390 for Amazon Leo. CNBC reported that Amazon Leo had not fully come online at the time. Those are reported counts of satellites in orbit, not comparable measures of service capacity.
Blue Origin’s TeraWave had a target of deploying its first satellites in the fourth quarter of 2027. The European Union’s IRIS² was expected to include hundreds of satellites, with its first launches not expected until 2029. Both timelines describe planned deployments.
Zelenskyy described talks with Norway and Kongsberg
On October 21, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had met Norwegian officials and Kongsberg to discuss air defense and start work on new satellite-communications capabilities for Ukrainian forces.
