Europe's top mobile operators weigh satellite spectrum bid

Europe’s largest mobile operators—Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone Group, and Telefonica—are in early talks to form a consortium to bid on satellite spectrum and offer direct-to-mobile services, according to a Bloomberg News report on Monday. The group would jointly bid for a share of 2 gigahertz of airwaves that the European Union has proposed reserving for a local operator, aiming to boost sovereign satellite capabilities. No final decisions have been made, and Vodafone and Orange declined to comment. The initiative would create a European rival to Elon Musk's Starlink service and align with the EU's push for independent satellite communication infrastructure.