Eutelsat has announced the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Poland to deepen cooperation in support of Europe’s future secure satellite communications infrastructure under the IRIS² programme.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Warsaw by Jean-François Fallacher, Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat, and Tomasz Szymański, Secretary of State at the Ministry of the Interior and Administration of the Republic of Poland, during a ceremony attended by Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space and Marcin Kierwiński, Minister of the Interior and Administration of the Republic of Poland. The signing marks another important milestone in the implementation of IRIS² and reflects the shared commitment of Poland, Eutelsat and the European Union to strengthening Europe’s secure, resilient and sovereign satellite connectivity capabilities.
The Memorandum of Understanding complements the agreement signed on the same occasion between the European Commission and the Republic of Poland on Poland’s additional investment in the IRIS² programme. Together, these agreements reinforce Poland’s contribution to Europe’s flagship secure connectivity programme, combining increased financial investment with concrete industrial and operational cooperation.
The MoU reflects the shared ambition of Eutelsat and Poland to strengthen Europe’s secure and sovereign connectivity capabilities, contribute to Europe’s technological leadership and strategic autonomy, and support the continued development of the Polish space ecosystem.
Under the agreement, Eutelsat and Polish institutions will collaborate on the development of secure satellite communications in Europe, with a particular focus on the deployment and future evolution of the low Earth Orbit (LEO) part of the IRIS² constellation.
As part of this cooperation, Eutelsat will provide Polish space companies with access to its facilities to test and validate IRIS² user terminals, helping accelerate innovation and supporting the integration of Polish industry into the European secure connectivity ecosystem.
The parties also intend to explore the provision of up to 2 Gbps of reserved and prioritised OneWeb low Earth orbit (LEO) capacity over Poland ahead of the entry into service of IRIS², with the objective of concluding a commercial agreement by June 2027. By leveraging OneWeb’s operational low Earth orbit (LEO) network, Poland would benefit from resilient, low-latency satellite connectivity ahead of IRIS² becoming operational, providing an effective bridge to Europe’s future sovereign secure connectivity system.
Jean-François Fallacher, Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat, said: “Secure low Earth orbit (LEO) connectivity has become a strategic capability for Europe. We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Poland through this Memorandum of Understanding, reflecting our shared commitment to Europe’s next generation of secure satellite communications. By combining OneWeb’s operational capabilities today with the future potential of IRIS², we are creating tangible benefits for Poland while helping build Europe’s secure connectivity and architecture.”
The MoU forms part of the implementation of Poland’s participation in the European Union Secure Connectivity Programme and further reinforces Eutelsat’s role within the SpaceRISE consortium, where it is leading the deployment and operation of the low Earth orbit (LEO) component of the IRIS² constellation.
