Berneke took the helm at Eutelsat in 2022 and oversaw the acquisition of OneWeb the following year, adding LEO capabilities to its geostationary fleet to fuel expansion into connectivity services. However, ground station delays have pushed back the global rollout of LEO services, which were originally planned for 2024 after OneWeb completed its initial 633-satellite deployment, including spares. Eutelsat is expected to provide updates on its ground infrastructure rollout during its next quarterly earnings announcement May 15. OneWeb remains the only meaningful LEO broadband competitor to Starlink, Berneke noted in a May 5 LinkedIn post, highlighting growing demand in Europe for sovereign broadband capabilities to reduce reliance on foreign networks amid shifting geopolitical pressures. “Eutelsat is set for a full alignment with a world where Europe is a strong sovereign space player and strongly aligned with the telecom connectivity ecosystem,” she said. The company also faces growing competition in Europe as Luxembourg-based multi-orbit operator SES closes in on its acquisition of U.S. rival Intelsat, aimed at bolstering connectivity capabilities as its media business also loses ground to online streaming services. Eutelsat’s shares jumped 13% to close at 4.5 euros on the Paris stock exchange May 5, up 98% since the start of the year but still below its early March high of 7.84 euros. Related