A company with significant ownership by the French and U.K. governments is proposing a plan to Canada for a project valued at around $250 million. The initiative aims to provide the military with secure satellite broadband coverage in the Arctic, as per information obtained by CBC News. Eutelsat, a competitor to Elon Musk’s Starlink, currently offers some services to the Canadian military and seeks to enhance this collaboration. This move comes as Canada seeks to diversify its defense contracts away from U.S. suppliers.
During discussions at last year’s G7 summit in Alberta, French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly introduced a proposal for Canada’s Department of National Defence to participate in an initiative involving Eutelsat, which Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed interest in. The primary concern raised by the Prime Minister was the potential impact on Telesat Corporation, a former Canadian Crown corporation now in the process of developing its Lightspeed system, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network for high-speed broadband.
Eutelsat, along with Canadian partners, is already supporting the Canadian military deployed in Latvia and offers what they term as a “sovereign capacity capability” to Canada. This would enable Canada to own all capacity in the Far North or any required region, ensuring independence from singular control that could disrupt services for political reasons.
The proposal also highlights concerns regarding Starlink, particularly following reports of Elon Musk ordering service shutdown in Ukraine during a critical military operation. Starlink, a major provider of broadband internet access in Canada’s Far North, has faced scrutiny due to Musk’s political affiliations.
Eutelsat’s pitch emphasizes the importance of reliable defense partnerships and control over secure systems and data. They offer the Canadian government the opportunity to collaborate with trusted nations, supporting defense initiatives such as over-the-horizon radar sites, NORAD modernization projects, and expansion into northern regions for defense purposes. Eutelsat is ready to provide the necessary satellite capacity to support these efforts upon approval from the Canadian government.