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6d ago

European Commission Approves SES’s $3.1 Billion Acquisition of Intelsat

It boosts SES’s satellite capacity to better compete with Starlink, with U.S. antitrust clearance still required.

Satellite model is placed on Intelsat logo in this picture illustration taken April 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Overview

  • The European Commission’s antitrust regulator gave unconditional approval to SES’s $3.1 billion acquisition of Intelsat, finding no competition concerns in the European Economic Area.
  • Once combined, SES and Intelsat will control more than 100 geostationary satellites and 26 in medium Earth orbit, expanding their global coverage and network resilience.
  • The merger is designed to bolster SES’s competitive standing against low Earth orbit operators, notably Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper.
  • Starlink currently maintains a fleet of over 6,750 LEO satellites serving more than five million customers, and Project Kuiper aims to deploy 3,200 satellites.
  • The deal remains subject to final approval from U.S. antitrust authorities before completion.