In a fresh bid to bolster its presence in the satellite communication (satcom) arena, Bharti Space Limited—Bharti Enterprises’ space-focused arm—is set to invest an additional €120 million (approximately ₹1,204 crore) in French satellite operator Eutelsat, as per a report.
This latest commitment builds on Bharti Space’s previous €30 million (₹313 crore) infusion into Eutelsat last month through a reserve capital increase. The new investment is part of Eutelsat’s broader €1.5 billion (over ₹15,000 crore) rights issue, which now includes €828 million through a reserve capital increase and €672 million via rights issue. Completion of the transaction is expected by the end of 2025.
However, Bharti’s shareholding in Eutelsat is set to decline to 17.88% from the current 24.09%, making way for the French government to become the satcom major’s largest shareholder.
This move is significant as Bharti aims to advance its satcom ambitions in India through Eutelsat OneWeb—a merger formed last year by combining Eutelsat with Bharti Enterprises and the UK government-backed OneWeb. The resulting entity, Eutelsat OneWeb, now operates a constellation of over 600 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, making it the world’s second-largest after Starlink.
The capital raise by Eutelsat reflects the fierce competition shaping up in India’s satcom space. Elon Musk’s Starlink recently received its final regulatory clearance from IN-SPACe, and Jio Platforms, through its partnership with SES, is also pushing aggressively into the segment. These players, along with Eutelsat OneWeb, are currently the only holders of the GMPCS licence from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
Meanwhile, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, Globalstar, and Vodafone Idea’s partner AST SpaceMobile are all queuing up to enter the Indian satcom market.
With the Indian government prioritizing rapid deployment of satellite internet services, TRAI has already submitted policy recommendations on satcom spectrum. A formal policy announcement is expected soon, which could further accelerate competition and innovation in this space.
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