Eutelsat Keeps Algeria On Board While Its OneWeb Fleet Takes Shape
Published on 10/11/2026 at 18:32 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Eutelsat has locked in one of its established broadcast footholds, announcing on Wednesday that it renewed its long-term partnership with Télédiffusion d'Algérie. Under the arrangement, the Algerian state broadcaster will keep using capacity on the EUTELSAT 7 West A satellite to beam its television channels across the Middle East and North Africa. Neither side disclosed the financial terms, though for the Paris-based operator the deal preserves steady use of satellite infrastructure it already has in orbit and lends stability to its legacy broadcasting arm.
That dependable revenue stream matters as the company works through a far more capital-hungry phase. Eutelsat is pressing ahead with the build-out of its low-Earth-orbit OneWeb network while continuing to service its geostationary fleet, a twin burden that has weighed on investor sentiment for months.
Hardware Ready, Paperwork Pending
On the manufacturing front, Airbus Defence and Space finished the first 32 new OneWeb satellites at its Toulouse facility roughly a week ago. The spacecraft are being prepped for shipment ahead of a launch aboard SpaceX rockets, part of a broader refresh covering 669 satellites in total.
Getting satellites built is one thing; getting them cleared to sell is another. In India, the commercial debut of Eutelsat OneWeb remains stuck behind government security clearances and other official approvals, according to media reports. Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said his company is likewise waiting on the necessary regulatory nods. From Eutelsat OneWeb's side, executive Rahul Vatts insisted the infrastructure is fully ready and all security demonstrations have already been completed. Until the paperwork clears, operators in the Indian market will have to keep waiting.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Eutelsat?
Africa Gains, Dubai Showcase
Where approvals have come through, the network is moving. On Thursday, Paratus Namibia went live with OneWeb's LEO satellite service for residential and business customers in Namibia, extending Eutelsat's existing connectivity in that market and opening the door to new customer segments. A day earlier, the company used the CABSAT trade show in Dubai to present combined GEO and LEO connectivity offerings tailored to the region, and it also has a partnership with Portuguese provider MEO to broaden OneWeb services there.
A Rival's Regulatory Win
All of this expansion is unfolding against intensifying competition. On Tuesday, the US Federal Communications Commission granted SpaceX permission to launch as many as 15,000 satellites designed to connect directly to mobile devices. Eutelsat was among the industry players that had filed objections to that application. The market also absorbed news that SpaceX agreed to buy the 800 MHz spectrum portfolio of Grain Management — a transaction that, according to Reuters, triggered broad losses across European telecom stocks on Friday.
Analyst sentiment has followed the shares lower. On 29 September, Bernstein cut its price target on Eutelsat from EUR 2.90 to EUR 2.40, Reuters reported.
The Numbers Behind the Noise
Friday's session closed with Eutelsat stock at EUR 1.39, down 1.1% on the day and 26% over the past 30 days. The shares sit a long way from their 52-week high of EUR 4.62, a gap that captures how skeptical investors remain even as the company commits heavily to its satellite fleet.
The next hard data point arrives on 29 October, when Eutelsat publishes revenue figures for the first quarter of its 2026–27 fiscal year. The question analysts will be asking is how much the expanded connectivity services can shore up income from the GEO side of the business.
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