Eutelsat Secures €1.35 Billion Funding Led by French State and Supported by Other Investors
Eutelsat, a European satellite operator, announced today a €1.35 billion funding round led by the French state and supported by other investors. The company stated that, in parallel with a debt refinancing plan, the capital increase will support its investment in its existing terrestrial capabilities, focusing on inter-enterprise and enterprise-to-government operations.
The French state will become Eutelsat's largest shareholder with 29.99% of the capital and voting rights, followed by Indian Bharti Space with 18.7%. The 10-year agreement with the French armed forces, signed two days prior, for priority access to satellite resources on its OneWeb LEO constellation, is found.
Eutelsat launches its satellites into space using rockets from companies such as Elon Musk's SpaceX, deploying them in both low Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary orbit. Following an agreement to combine its activities with British satellite company OneWeb in 2023, Eutelsat became the world's third-largest satellite operator in terms of revenue. Eutelsat is strategically positioned to support critical sectors such as military communications, cyber-resilience, and secure government connectivity, aligning with the European Union's strategic autonomy objectives. The protectionist approach of Trump is starting to transform into an opportunity for European companies.
