EPA:ETL 10 September 2025 - 15 January 2026

France Blocks Eutelsat’s €550m EQT Antenna Sale, Calling It a Security Risk
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France Blocks Eutelsat’s €550m EQT Antenna Sale, Calling It a Security Risk

France blocked satellite operator Eutelsat from selling its ground antennas to Swedish private equity firm EQT, Finance Minister Roland Lescure said Friday, citing national security concerns. Following the announcement, Eutelsat shares dropped roughly 5% in early trading in Paris. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/france-prevented-eutelsat-selling-ground-antennas-finance-minister-says-2026-01-30/?utm_source=chatgpt.com The move highlights just how far Paris will go to maintain control over satellite infrastructure tied to defence and telecoms, especially as European governments push to reduce dependence on foreign networks for secure communications. The Financial Times also confirmed the government’s veto of the deal. https://www.ft.com/content/e8c5ee5d-602e-4ce0-8954-cc35c50cc2e4?utm_source=chatgpt.com
January 30, 2026
France may send Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran as Starlink goes free during the blackout
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France may send Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran as Starlink goes free during the blackout

France is considering whether to provide Eutelsat satellite internet terminals to Iran following Tehran’s decision to impose a widespread internet blackout amid violent protests. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told lawmakers, “We are exploring all options.” https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-studying-possible-transfer-eutelsat-terminals-iran-foreign-minister-says-2026-01-14/ This is crucial now because Iran’s shutdown goes beyond simply disrupting social media. Its goal is to block the spread of videos, messaging, and live coordination as the crackdown ramps up.
January 15, 2026
Sabotaged Cables, SpaceX’s $17 B Spectrum Bet & 5G/6G Leaps – Global Mobile Internet Roundup (Sept 9–10, 2025)
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Sabotaged Cables, SpaceX’s $17 B Spectrum Bet & 5G/6G Leaps – Global Mobile Internet Roundup (Sept 9–10, 2025)

A sudden undersea fiber break has wreaked havoc on internet traffic between Europe, the Middle East and Asia. On Sept 7, monitors detected that two critical submarine cables – SEA-ME-WE 4 and IMEWE – were cut near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ts2.tech. The impact was felt across continents: data slowed to a crawl or stopped entirely in countries including India, Pakistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE ts2.tech. Major Gulf ISPs like Etisalat and Du experienced nationwide slowdowns, and millions of users saw sluggish or lost connectivity as traffic scrambled to re-route ts2.tech ts2.tech. Even Microsoft sounded the alarm, warning Azure cloud customers of increased latency due to “multiple undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea” forcing data onto longer paths
September 10, 2025