France prevented Eutelsat from selling ground antennas, Finance Minister says

Eutelsat Communications SA

30/01/2026 06:44

PARIS, Jan 30 (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said on Friday he had decided earlier this week to prevent French satellite operator Eutelsat ETL.PA, a rival to Elon Musk's Starlink, from selling ground antennas, which enable communication with satellites.

"These antennas are used for both civilian and military communications. Eutelsat is Starlink's only European competitor. It is clearly a strategic asset. And so I said no," Lescure said in an interview with TV station TF1.

Eutelsat is headquartered in France and the French government owns a 17.17% stake in the company, according to data from LSEG.

 (Reporting by Inti Landauro, editing by Louise Rasmussen)

 ((Louisebreusch.rasmussen@tr.com; +45 21 27 97 79;))