Eutelsat, Voimatel Partner for LEO Satellite Connectivity in Arctic Finland

This partnership highlights the growing role of LEO satellite constellations in bridging connectivity gaps, particularly in challenging geographies like the Arctic. Terrestrial infrastructure expansion in such regions is often cost-prohibitive, making satellite solutions a viable alternative for reliable, low-latency access. The concurrent interest from Finnair in LEO for in-flight Wi-Fi emphasizes a broader industry trend toward ubiquitous, high-speed satellite connectivity. Stakeholders should monitor deployment timelines and service adoption rates in these niche markets as LEO network capabilities expand globally.

The push for LEO adoption in Finland occurs against a backdrop of rapid consolidation and expansion in the satellite sector. As of June 2026, SpaceX's Starlink has secured a dominant position in the aviation market, capturing approximately 47.8% of commercial airline connectivity traffic by late 2025, according to data from Ookla. Starlink added 11 new airline customers in the first half of 2026 alone, including narrowbody fleet deals with American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. To counter this, Amazon recently rebranded its Project Kuiper initiative to 'Amazon Leo' and introduced new gigabit-speed antennas specifically designed for commercial aviation. Per Reuters and other reports from June 2026, Amazon Leo has already secured Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways as early partners while rushing to meet FCC mandates requiring the deployment of half its 3,236-satellite constellation by July 2026. Meanwhile, Eutelsat is aggressively expanding its European infrastructure. Following its merger with OneWeb, the Paris-based operator secured approximately €1 billion in state-backed financing in February 2026 to procure 340 next-generation satellites from Airbus. These Gen2 satellites, slated for delivery starting in late 2026, include digital channelizers designed to boost data capacity and lower costs—a critical factor for distribution partners like Voimatel who are competing against the consumer-facing pricing of Starlink. Eutelsat is also positioning its LEO network to support the upcoming IRIS² multi-orbit secure communication constellation for the European Union.