European telcos in talks for satellite-direct-to-phone venture

TREE NEWS reports: Europe’s largest mobile operators, including Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone and Telefónica, are in preliminary talks to form a consortium to bid for satellite spectrum and offer direct-to-phone services, competing with Elon Musk’s Starlink. The plan targets EU-reserved spectrum for local operators to boost sovereign satellite capabilities. No final decision has been made, and any satellite operator must be European-controlled per EU proposals.