Luke Kehoe

Europe’s broadband story can look close to complete from a national coverage chart. Fiber networks are expanding, gigabit targets are embedded in policy, and many households now have much faster fixed broadband than they did a few years ago. The harder question is what happens at the edge of that progress. Starlink’s role as a low-Earth orbit broadband provider is clearest in those remaining gaps. Across Europe, the service is most visible where fixed networks are delayed, weaker, difficult to extend, or needed as backup.

The UK has become the first country in Western Europe where a smartphone can reach a satellite directly without specialist hardware or a separate app. Virgin Media O2 launched O2 Satellite on February 26, 2026, using SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile constellation over licensed 1800 MHz spectrum, and priced it at £3 per month on Pay Monthly plans or at no extra cost on high-end “Ultimate” tariffs. The launch follows a partnership announced in October 2025 and an Ofcom authorization framework finalized in December 2025.