Following the sudden restriction imposed by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on the Ukrainian military's use of satellite communication services, U.S. allies such as Europe and Canada are accelerating efforts to build their own independent satellite communication networks.

As the reality set in where communication networks essential for military operations could be restricted by the decision of a single private company, anxiety has grown that heavy reliance on a specific enterprise could become a national security vulnerability.

The U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 24th (local time) on this trend, noting that voices of concern over dependence on Starlink are growing across Europe.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski criticized Musk, saying, "The more you use a product politically, the more you damage the brand."

Concerns also emerged within the U.S. Republican Party.

Senator Kevin Cramer pointed out, "(The U.S.) must not become overly dependent on a single system, a single person, and a single company."

Previously, speed restrictions were placed on Starshield, the military version of Starlink utilized by the Ukrainian military for communications and drone operations, disrupting the operation of some offensive and interceptor drones.

The WSJ reported that Musk directly ordered the speed restrictions.

Ukrainian officials suspect that the backdrop of this measure is the conflict between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy surrounding attacks on Russian oil refineries.

In response, various countries are rushing to secure their own satellite networks.

Ukraine and Finland announced a support package worth 300 million euros (approximately 500 billion won) on the 22nd, stating that Ukraine plans to participate in the establishment of a satellite communication network being pursued by Finnish satellite firm ICEYE and telecom equipment maker Nokia.

The launch of the first satellite is scheduled for 2028.

Canada's Telesat is also pushing to build 'Lightspeed', a low Earth orbit communication network consisting of 288 satellites.

It aims to launch its first satellite in December and begin services in early 2028.

The European Union (EU) plans to invest approximately 17.5 billion dollars (about 25 trillion won) to build 'IRIS²', an independent communication network consisting of 348 satellites.

The first launch is scheduled for 2029.

However, it is difficult to replace Starlink in the short term.

While Starlink operates over 11,000 satellites, Europe's prominent low Earth orbit satellite communication company OneWeb has only about 650.

Furthermore, competing companies such as OneWeb and Telesat still rely on SpaceX's Falcon rockets for satellite launches.

Tom Withington, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in the U.K., predicted that "there will be no single technology to replace Starlink" and that combining multiple technologies will take a considerable amount of time.

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