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Satellite operator SES is poised to secure unconditional antitrust approval from the European Union for its $3.1 billion acquisition of rival Intelsat, according to a Reuters report citing unnamed sources. The European Commission is expected to issue a final ruling by June 10.
The proposed merger, announced in 2023, aims to create a major competitor to Elon Musk’s Starlink in the increasingly competitive satellite broadband sector.
The deal has already received unconditional clearance from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which concluded on May 29 that the transaction does not raise significant competition concerns, eliminating the need for a more detailed Phase 2 investigation.
Regulatory reviews are still pending in the United States, where the deal is under scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Justice.
Reuters noted the EU’s favorable stance on the deal aligns with its broader strategic push for autonomy in space-based communications. European authorities are keen to reduce dependency on foreign operators like Starlink, especially for broadband services.
SES is also part of a European industry consortium developing the IRIS² satellite constellation in partnership with the European Commission and the European Space Agency under a 12-year contract.
Once combined, SES and Intelsat will operate a fleet of more than 100 Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites and 26 Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites—significantly fewer than Starlink’s reported 5,800 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, but bolstering the EU’s space infrastructure nonetheless.
Meanwhile, French operator Eutelsat is reportedly in talks with investors to raise €1.5 billion to expand its LEO constellation, according to Bloomberg. Potential backers include the governments of France and the UK.
