HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 11: The United Kingdom has announced its decision to participate in the planned capital increase of global satellite communications provider Eutelsat, joining other key investors including France and Bharti Space Limited.
The move pushes the total expected investment to €1.5 billion.
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The development was confirmed in an official statement issued by Eutelsat on Friday, which said that His Majesty’s Government, through the UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, has committed €163.3 million in total.
This includes participation in both the Reserved Capital Increase and the subsequent Rights Issue, in proportion to its post-transaction shareholding.
The French State, represented via Agence des Participations de l’État (APE), remains the lead investor, subscribing €551 million to the Reserved Capital Increase.
Bharti Space Limited has committed €30 million, His Majesty’s Government €90 million, CMA CGM €100 million, and FSP €57 million.
The total amount for this tranche stands at €828 million, while the planned Rights Issue will raise an additional €672 million.
All commitments are subject to shareholder approval at an extraordinary general meeting expected around the end of Q3 2025, along with regulatory clearances and the finalisation of a revised non-concerting shareholders’ agreement reflecting the post-investment ownership structure.
Eutelsat said that following completion of the two transactions—expected by the end of 2025—the French State would hold 29.65% of the share capital and voting rights. Bharti Space Limited, the UK Government, CMA CGM and FSP would respectively hold 17.88%, 10.89%, 7.46% and 4.99%.
The investors involved in the capital increase would not be in a position to launch a public takeover, the statement clarified.
UK Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said the investment affirms the country’s commitment to securing critical satellite infrastructure.
“As our adversaries increasingly use space technologies to harm us, resilient satellite connectivity has become essential to our continent’s national security,” he said.
Bharti Group founder Sunil Bharti Mittal welcomed the UK’s participation and said Eutelsat was positioned to meet growing sovereign and commercial connectivity needs.
“This new capital injection will allow Eutelsat to go further and faster in developing innovative technologies and services,” he said.
Eutelsat CEO Jean-François Fallacher thanked the UK Government for its continued support and called space a strategic asset.
“We remain committed to the UK, which we consider one of our home markets, and to supporting the development of OneWeb to address the needs of all our sovereign and commercial stakeholders,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron had earlier called for countries such as India, Canada and Brazil to partner with France in investing in Eutelsat, describing the initiative as a collective strategic effort to support global space capabilities.
