Ryszard Donimirski

Internet Access in France: From Fiber to Satellite and Everything In Between

Internet Access in France: From Fiber to Satellite and Everything In Between

By end-2024, fiber coverage reached about 91% of premises in metropolitan France, passing over 40.6 million homes and offices, with roughly 4 million still awaiting coverage. Fiber accounts for about 75% of all internet subscriptions in France. Plan France Très Haut Débit (PFTHD), launched in 2013, aimed to cover 100% of the country with at least 30 Mbps by 2022, later extended to 2025, using 55% private investment zones and 45% public initiative zones with total costs around €20–€30 billion and about €13–€14 billion in public funding (central government €3.3 billion). By end-2024, 5.8 million DSL lines remained active (about
Latest News and Developments in Satellites (2024–2025)

Latest News and Developments in Satellites (2024–2025)

In the first four months of 2025, over 1,200 satellites were launched, roughly a 50% increase from the same period in 2024. SpaceX’s Starlink had more than 7,000 small satellites in orbit by late 2024, with 573 Starlinks launched in Q1 2025 and about 9,000 laser inter-satellite links moving some 42 petabytes of data per day. In October 2024, SpaceX completed the final batch of OneWeb’s first-generation broadband satellites, bringing the constellation to roughly 634 LEO satellites. Amazon’s Project Kuiper launched its first 27 satellites in April 2025 on a ULA Atlas V, starting a planned 3,236-satellite network with a
21 June 2025
No Signal? No Problem: Why Satellite Phones Are Booming in 2025

No Signal? No Problem: Why Satellite Phones Are Booming in 2025

In June 2025, T-Mobile began a nationwide beta of its “T-Satellite” service built on SpaceX Starlink technology, with a July 2025 rollout and plans to include it at no extra cost on high‑end plans and about $10/month for others. On June 19, 2025, Vodafone Idea and AST SpaceMobile announced a partnership to deliver 4G/5G access from space in India using AST’s BlueWalker 3 satellites to reach remote areas. The FCC Space Bureau accepted Globalstar’s petition in early June 2025 to launch a second‑generation LEO constellation called “C‑3” for direct‑to‑device services, with Apple owning about 20% of Globalstar and a 50‑satellite
10,000 Satellites and 5 Million Users: Inside the Satellite Internet Revolution of 2025

10,000 Satellites and 5 Million Users: Inside the Satellite Internet Revolution of 2025

Starlink has launched over 8,000 satellites since 2019 and serves more than 5 million users across 125+ countries as of 2025. Amazon’s Project Kuiper launched its first 27 satellites in April 2025 on an Atlas V, aiming for a 3,236-satellite constellation with Ka-band and user terminals around $400. The EU’s IRIS² plan is a €10.6 billion multi-orbit network targeting about 300 satellites by 2030. China began launching the first of 13,000 Guowang satellites, with 64 craft launched by the end of 2024. OneWeb has about 650 satellites and merged with European operator Eutelsat in September 2023 to form a GEO-LEO
21 June 2025
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