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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said her government is in talks with several private companies including Elon Musk’s SpaceX over the country’s telecoms security system. What consequences would a deal have if it went ahead?
ADVERTISEMENTReports have swirled for weeks that Italy is currently in talks with several private companies, including Elon Musk’s Space X, over a deal involving country’s telecoms security system.Such a deal would mean that SpaceX would provide encryption services for the Italian government and communications infrastructure for the military and emergency service — potentially over a competing European Union project set to launch in 2029. Leader Giorgia Meloni has admitted her government is in talks with several private companies, including SpaceX, but generally pushed back on rumours over the project. She has denied both that a deal has been reached and that she has had any private discussions with Musk, with whom she has a friendship. In January, her office issued a statement saying the matter had not been discussed in the recent meeting between Giorgia Meloni and Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago. When asked by reporters, Meloni said any potential deal would be firmly based on “national interests.” Her position was echoed by Giangiacomo Calovini, an MP for the Bothers of Italy party, who told Euronews, “let’s clarify things, the government has not signed anything, even though exchanges and relations between Rome and Washington are strong.”The politician said that Meloni was “acting in Italy’s and Europe’s best interests. We’ll evaluate which solution will be the best, while waiting for Europe to possibly offer its guarantees, both on a technical and security level, which are not in place yet.” Calvoni’s comments point to the IRIS², the EU’s 10 billion multi-orbital constellation of 290 satellites, which won’t be fully operational before 2030. The project is one of the main pillars of the EU’s defence strategy and will also be available to private customers. Italy is widely expected to be participant in the project, to which EU member states can sign additional contracts at a national level. However, with speculation over a competing deal with Musk, the tech billionaire’s Italian representative Andrea Stroppa has responded to what a deal between SpaceX and Italy would look like. Stroppa has said that Italy would have full control of its data. He also added that Elon Musk himself does not decide whether the Starlink satellite system is turned on or off. Stroppa further pointed out the cost-effectiveness of Starlink’s services compared with other competitors including the EU.Frediano Finucci, a journalist and author who recently wrote a book titled “The Great Game of Satellite” told Euronews, “preserving communications security is a strategic asset and it’s a question of trust.””Italy uses satellite communications for the military provided by both Italy and France, a country with which Italy has argued in the past, although Italy trusts France. Now having to rely on external provider like the US, it’s not about mistrust, as the US is also an ally. However as Meloni said, the problem is not that it’s American technology, the issue is that Elon Musk is behind it.”Finucci also pointed to the fact that even if data in the deal with SpaceX is encrypted and secure, Starlink could still detect unusual communication patterns. “Starlink would still have the ability to detect whether an unusual amount of communication is being sent from either an embassy or a military ship, similar to what occurred between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when embassy staff used telegraphs to send diplomatic dispatches between capitals,” Finucci said.ADVERTISEMENT”Spies would stand in front of telegraphs, and if there was too much activity, they would suspect something was not right. It’s impossible to prevent Starlink from keeping track of traffic”.From a political perspective, a potential deal with SpaceX could have several consequences. Giovanni Orsina from Luiss University told Euronews, “If a deal were signed it would further signal close personal relations betwen Meloni, Musk, and Trump.””It would be interesting to see if any tensions arise between Italy and Europe. Right now, Italy is caught between the US and Europe.”Professor Orsina believes it’s too early to predict when a potential deal with Starlink might be finalised as the operation is still under review. ADVERTISEMENTHowever it’s still possible that the Italian government may have wanted to delay taking a decision until after Trump’s inauguration next week.
