EU Commissioner Thierry Breton is now known for wanting to bring Europe forward in terms of technology, particularly when it comes to space travel. Just a few months after taking office at the end of 2019, the Internal Market Commissioner was thinking aloud about a European broadband network from space. “There is currently a global race for secure satellite communication infrastructures,” said the Frenchman in July 2020 Hannover tradefair Digital Days. He had Elon Musk’s Starlink project and the competition Oneweb in mind. Europe could play a leading role here and “build an autonomous European infrastructure within five to seven years”. He also pushed through to speed up the renewal of the Galileo satellite navigation system.
Breton is also speeding up his latest project. On Tuesday, in addition to an initiative against space debris, he presented a concept for the so-called space debris in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg Secure Connectivity System before, on Wednesday he wants it at a space summit in Toulouse with government representatives of the EU member states and the space agency Esa. According to this, the EU wants to build an independent, secure global satellite internet for six billion euros, the signals of which are to be encrypted with quantum technology.
In addition to Europe, the focus of coverage should be on Africa and the Arctic – out of strategic interest. The high-speed network will be available to governments, state agencies and the military, but will also be available to companies and citizens in Europe via commercial providers. In the future, this should also provide regions with broadband Internet in which there has only been a poor connection so far. The first services are scheduled to go into operation in the middle of the decade, with full expansion planned for mid-2027. It is unclear how many satellites are required for this, but there will probably be several hundred. The project is to be funded by EU countries, ESA, the Commission and private investors.
In a letter to the member states, Breton emphasizes that the Commission intends to implement the satellite system “in the spirit of New Space”. So more flexible and cheaper than the traditional industry – including a “greater involvement of start-ups” and new disruptive ways of working. “It will be a truly pan-European project, allowing our many start-ups and Europe as a whole to be at the forefront of technological innovation,” Breton said in Parliament.
Will the network from space be affordable?
At the end of 2020, the EU commissioned an industrial consortium to carry out a feasibility study for the satellite network. Only after protests from start-ups and the federal government did the commission also have the consortia in December UN:IO to Mynaric and Isar Aerospace as well New Symphony commissioned by the consulting company Euroconsult with start-up studies. The results should not come until June.
The German federal government, which welcomes the initiative in principle, criticizes the fact that Breton presented his very detailed concept prematurely. “From our point of view, we first have to see where there is really a need,” says space coordinator Anna Christmann. For this, however, the concepts of the start-ups would have to be included. “The EU Commission should wait for the studies it commissioned to be completed and evaluate them with an open mind,” says Matthias Wachter from the BDI industry association. Predetermining technical specifications does not go far enough. “The mega-constellation” – that’s the technical term for a network of hundreds of satellites – “can be an economic stimulus package for European space start-ups,” says Green MEP Niklas Nienaß. In addition to the government network, the satellite internet service for citizens should also remain in public hands: “This is the only way we can ensure that it is affordable for everyone.”
Buy more weapons together
In addition, Breton presented initiatives with which the Commission intends to strengthen cooperation between governments on armaments projects. In March, the heads of state and government are to Strategic compass adopt a policy paper showing how the Union can become more effective in defense policy. Breton’s proposals are a contribution to this debate. Among other things, the Commission would like to set financial incentives for Member States to jointly develop and purchase more armaments. Because shared war material saves money and helps national armies fight better together.
In 2020, however, only 11 percent of EU countries’ defense spending went to joint projects, although the governments have agreed on a target of 35 percent. The Commission now wants to waive VAT on such orders; the corresponding proposal should come in a year.