Italy, 1.5 billion euros for telecommunications security - The Government, close to the agreement with SpaceX to provide these services
Italy is in advanced talks with Elon Musk's SpaceX about a deal that will provide secure telecommunications for the country's government. This will be the largest project of its kind in Europe.
Discussions are ongoing and a final agreement on the five-year contract has not been reached, the sources said. The project has been approved by the Italian Intelligence Services as well as the Ministry of Defense in the country.
Negotiations, which had stalled recently, appeared to make progress after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited President-elect Donald Trump in Florida.
Italian officials have negotiated a €1.5 billion deal aimed at supplying Italy with a full range of high-level encryption for phone and internet services used by the government. The plan also includes communications services for the Italian military in the Mediterranean area, as well as the extension of satellite services for emergencies such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters.
The potential deal has been under consideration since mid-2023, although it has been opposed by some Italian officials worried about how the services could hurt domestic carriers.
In 2024 alone, Musk's SpaceX has added more than 20 countries to its Starlink satellite internet service. It now serves more than 4 million people in over 100 countries and territories, displacing legacy telecom operators and overcoming new challenges from Amazon.com Inc. and rivals like China.
SpaceX provides Starlink service for commercial applications ranging from residential Internet service to shipping and airlines, and is also developing a product called Starshield for defense purposes.
Italy is one of the most competitive markets in the world for phone operators, who have been struggling with shrinking profits for years. The domestic industry is facing a new round of mergers, as well as disposal of multi-billion dollar assets.
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