Eutelsat Exits European Retail Broadband Market

Eutelsat’s headquarters in Paris. Photo: Eutelsat

Eutelsat is exiting the European retail broadband business. The operator is selling its activities here to an unnamed private operator, Eutelsat announced June 15. The divestiture includes affiliate Bigblu Operations Ltd and the other European retail activities in the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, and Greece.

Eutelsat said it prefers a wholesale go-to-market model to distribute its satellite broadband capacity over Europe, with its major wholesale deals signed with Orange in France, TIM in Italy, Hispasat in Spain, and Swisscom in Switzerland for capacity in their respective markets on the Eutelsat KONNECT satellite. The private operator will also become a wholesale distributor in existing markets.

The operator acquired BBB Europe from Bigblu Broadband in 2020 for the satellite broadband platform, as well as access to its network of installers and resellers and to its 50,000 subscribers across the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, and Greece. The operator paid 38 million euros for the business in 2020.

Eutelsat’s broadband strategy is also set to be boosted with the imminent coming into service of its KONNECT VHTS. It has 230 beams over Europe and the Middle East and Africa, representing a Ka-band capacity of 500 Gbps, adaptable according to demand and specific needs in each country.