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EU approves 348-satellite Starlink alternative for 2029
The EU has approved its 348-satellite IRIS broadband network, with launches and initial government services planned for 2029.
Image: GSMArena
The European Union has approved the architecture for IRIS, its sovereign satellite broadband system, with the first launches scheduled for 2029 and services expected to begin later that year.
The European Commission has finalized plans covering the constellation’s design, satellite production, ground infrastructure, and launch services. It has also signed an agreement with European manufacturers and the European Space Agency (ESA), following negotiations that began in January.
The finalized arrangement expands the constellation beyond its original scope. An additional 66 satellites bring the planned total to 348. ESA says those spacecraft are needed to improve IRIS’s support for defense, security, and emergency services.
IRIS is aimed first at governments, not households
IRIS is not being positioned as a direct consumer alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink. EU member states and partner countries including Norway and Iceland are expected to use the network for critical operations such as emergency response, humanitarian work, and border surveillance.
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Businesses and citizens could eventually gain access in locations where terrestrial networks are unavailable or unreliable. The plan therefore describes IRIS less as a mass-market broadband service than as sovereign communications infrastructure that may later fill connectivity gaps.
That distinction matters when comparing the systems. Starlink has more than 10,000 active satellites in low Earth orbit, making the EU’s 348-satellite constellation much smaller. IRIS is designed around resilience and government use, while Starlink’s much larger network is already operating at consumer scale.
The Commission’s agreement defines target pricing for each satellite and the investment expected from private operators, but the report does not provide those figures. It also does not specify when consumer or business pricing will be announced.
The facts point to a strategic backup and public-service network rather than a near-term Starlink replacement for European households. Its value will depend on whether the expanded 348-satellite design delivers the defense and emergency capabilities ESA expects—and whether the eventual service can reach underserved users without changing its government-first role.
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via GSMArena
