Reuters reports that Eutelsat is in discussions with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for its future satellite launches. The company stated that no agreement has been reached yet. Through this potential partnership, Eutelsat aims to diversify its partners and limit its dependence on SpaceX and Ariane rockets, following the loss of access to Russian Soyuz launchers.

CEO Jean-François Fallacher told Reuters that "launch capacities must be anticipated very far in advance." The executive also highlighted the strategic importance of the Indian market.

Since its merger with OneWeb in 2023, Eutelsat has relied on an expanding constellation, with 650 satellites currently in orbit and over 1,000 expected shortly. Airbus is manufacturing an additional 440 satellites, while the European IRIS² project will further strengthen the infrastructure.

The group indicates it is funded until 2031, following a 5 billion euro refinancing that notably made the French State its main shareholder. It plans to invest approximately 2,000 million euros by 2030 for its future satellites, with launches representing 30% to 40% of the costs.

As a reminder, Eutelsat's CEO traveled to New Delhi in February with Emmanuel Macron and met with the Indian Minister of Telecommunications as well as regulatory representatives to discuss market access.

"This subject is crucial, as Eutelsat and other satellite internet operators are still waiting for commercial authorization from the Indian telecommunications regulatory authority. We expect Eutelsat to obtain this license this year," says Utsav Sinha, the analyst in charge of the case at AlphaValue.

The analyst further reports that one of Eutelsat's main strategic investors is Sunil Bharti Mittal, owner of Airtel, India's second-largest telecommunications operator, who maintains close ties with the government. "This support could prove decisive for the use of Eutelsat's infrastructure to provide internet access to remote areas of India, particularly for education and health, in line with government policies and as a complement to commercial operations," the broker concludes.

Eutelsat shares are down 2.8% in late morning trading in Paris, but still show a gain of around 20% since the beginning of the year.