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European carriers plan a Starlink rival with no satellites yet

The four operators say they serve around 370 million customers across 17 countries, and would supply ground equipment while a satellite partner is still to be chosen.

Photo: Official SpaceX Photos · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ As it aired · Pop Culture

Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger, Chip Darnell and Gloria Vance on this story, from Coffee Talk at 10:37 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Verge's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Starlink
Photo: Official SpaceX Photos · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

What BBN said about it

  1. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorDeutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone signed a letter of intent to explore a joint bid for satellite spectrum in Europe, aimed at a rival to Starlink.

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The story so far

  1. Bournemouth gets its first European home night this week · AP News
  2. How Starlink satellites threaten the night sky · The Times
  3. European Union: The EU banned bananas that are too bendy. · Wikipedia
  4. European Union: The EU tried to ban mushy peas · Wikipedia
  5. European Parliament votes 381-167 against Islamist entryism · Fox News
  6. Rare European beetle harbors hidden island of unknown fungi · Bioengineer.org
  7. European carriers plan a Starlink rival with no satellites yet (this story)

From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, October 19, 2026 · the Pop Culture archive · all months