Sept 7 (Reuters) – Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone Group and Telefonica are in early talks to create a consortium to bid on satellite spectrum and offer direct-to-mobile services, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The group of carriers would jointly bid for a share of the 2 gigahertz of airwaves that the European Union has proposed reserving for a local operator, a plan aimed at increasing sovereign satellite capabilities, the report added.
No final decisions on the consortium or plans to bid have been made, Bloomberg said.
Vodafone and Orange declined to comment, while Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The initiative would create a European rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink service on the continent, and align with the European Union’s push to build sovereign satellite communication capabilities.
(Reporting by Natalia Bueno Rebolledo in Mexico City; Editing by Jan Harvey)
