Eutelsat and Skynopy sign global agreement to open their ground network
On the sidelines of the International Space Summit, Eutelsat and French company Skynopy signed a partnership agreement called Global AKAR, designed to transform the operator's ground station network into an open platform accessible to other satellite operators.
A partnership centered on the ground segment
Eutelsat and Skynopy announced on September 9, 2026 the signing of an agreement for the implementation of Global AKAR, presented as a strategic partnership aimed at building a software-defined ground infrastructure for existing and future satellite services. The scope covers Earth observation, in-orbit services, in-orbit data centers and various telecommunications services.
The agreement combines the global coverage of Eutelsat's ground station network with Skynopy's software orchestration technology. It will enable a number of Eutelsat's ground stations to serve a wider range of satellite operators and applications, while continuing to meet the needs of the operator's own networks and clients.
Deployment of over one hundred antennas by end of 2029
The partnership provides for the deployment of over one hundred operational antennas at a number of sites by the end of 2029. The platform is designed to support multi-mission constellations operating in the S, X and Ka bands, on the low earth orbit service market.
According to the terms of the press release, the service aims to reduce transmission latency to less than 3 minutes, compared to approximately 1 hour with current state-of-the-art technologies, and to offer throughput of up to 10 Gbps, compared to 1 to 2 Gbps today. An initial phase, partly supported by the French government, is already underway and has made it possible to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the concept through a study conducted with three antennas intended for Earth observation.
The respective contributions of the two partners
Eutelsat brings sites distributed across its global ground station network, nearly five decades of experience in satellite operations and its relationships with institutional and commercial clients. Skynopy, a French company created in late 2023, has operated 17 ground stations since its creation and has notably provided ground station services to Airbus Defence and Space.
The partnership was presented at the International Space Summit. Jean-François Fallacher, Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat, indicated that Global AKAR will enable the existing infrastructure to be valued by putting it at the service of new clients and new applications.
