Bouygue Telecom is launching its very high-speed satellite Internet offer in France, in partnership with Starlink. The operator’s professional customers will be able to benefit from a new solution to get connected!
Despite all the efforts of operators, the Internet is still not deployed across the entire French territory. Indeed, in so-called white zones, the weather and geography impose technical challenges and costs that are far too high to be able to install relay antennas. So, all hopes have turned to the sky, and more specifically to space connectivity – a market estimated at 16 billion dollars by 2030. To put it simply, satellite connection allows residents of underserved areas to have access to high-speed Internet thanks to thousands of small satellites circulating in low orbit around the Earth. No wonder that in just a few years, the high-speed space connectivity market has seen many new players emerge all over the world.
One of the major players in the sector is Starlink, owned by Elon Musk. Until now, the company has been operating rather solo, offering a satellite Internet service in France since 2021 for the price of 40 euros per month – to which must also be added the cost of the equipment – which has already won the hearts of some 10,000 users in France at the end of 2022. It had also announced the launch in 2024 of Direct to Cell, a satellite telephony offer (see our article). But Starlink will now be able to count on Bouygues Telecom to establish itself a little more in France.
Bouygues Telecom and Starlink: very high speed everywhere in France
The planned closure of the copper network, the historic pillar of fixed telephony and ADSL, by 2030, is now forcing companies to rethink their connectivity solutions. And, even if access to fiber is of course the preferred solution, it is not possible throughout the territory. Also, Bouygues Telecom intends to offer them the use of Starlink as “a back-up solution, in addition to existing technologies (4G/5G, optical fiber), or in areas where fiber has not yet been deployed or 5G coverage is insufficient.” The advantage of Starlink is that it offers a high-speed connection, with low latency, since the satellites deployed by SpaceX are in low Earth orbit.
“This cutting-edge technology can be used as a primary or complementary solution, in anticipation of the obsolescence of the copper network, thus contributing to the continuity of their operations and their performances”explains François Treuil, corporate market director at Bouygues Telecom, in a press release.
Bouygues Telecom and Starlink: an offer that is not cheap
Several packages will be offered to professionals, which will include the provision and installation of Starlink kits, as well as the subscription required to enjoy the satellite Internet connection. But not everyone may be able to afford it! According to The gallerythe dish, which allows you to connect to several satellites at the same time, would cost 2,900 euros, while the subscription would cost between 215 euros and 1,000 euros per month, depending on consumption. Suffice to say that SMEs are automatically excluded!
The operator’s first customer will be ID Logistics, an international company specializing in contract logistics. The company plans to equip more than 400 sites in Europe, South America and Asia with Starlink kits by 2025. It remains to be seen whether Bouygues Telecom also plans to distribute Starlink offers to individuals. Orange already offers a very high-speed satellite Internet subscription, mainly for users living in isolated areas without access to fiber optics. Called Orange Satellite and in partnership with Nordnet, it is available at 49.99 euros per month (see our article).