At a January 9, 2025 press conference, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her government was exploring secure-communications options with several private companies, including SpaceX. She said no contract had been signed and denied privately discussing the proposal with Elon Musk. The reported €1.5 billion figure was a potential project value, not an agreed price.
What Italy was considering
Meloni said the government was discussing telecom-security options with multiple companies. SpaceX, the company that operates Starlink, was among them. The Associated Press reported that the possible scope included encryption services for the Italian government and communications infrastructure for military and emergency services. Those were contemplated services, not a description of an operating system or completed deployment. Associated Press reporting described the talks as exploratory.
Was a deal signed, and what was the reported value?
No. At the January 9 press conference, Meloni said the government was still investigating options and had signed no contracts. The €1.5 billion over five years—also reported as $1.6 billion—was described in 2025 reporting as the potential project’s value, not as a signed contract price. The Associated Press and Reuters reported the figure in connection with a possible arrangement.
What Meloni said about Musk and Trump
Meloni denied privately discussing the proposal with Musk. “I never talked about this with Musk. It’s not my habit to use my public role to do favors to friends,” she said, according to the Associated Press.
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That denial is separate from the government’s response about Meloni’s meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Reuters reported that the prime minister’s office denied a SpaceX agreement had been reached or discussed at that meeting. Neither statement establishes what may have happened in later talks or what Italy ultimately decided.
Why the proposal raised security and procurement questions
The debate was about more than whether satellite communications could be useful. Critics questioned the risks of placing communications handling with a private company controlled by Musk. Meloni framed the choice as balancing data protection against the risk of leaving sensitive communications unprotected. She said both scenarios were undesirable and that the government would be responsible if sensitive data reached the wrong hands.
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Her remarks set out a political argument, not an independent assessment proving that one option was safer. The practical questions for any procurement would include who controls sensitive data, how service would hold up in emergencies, how it integrates with government and military systems, what oversight and accountability apply, and how dependent Italy would become on one provider. The January 2025 reporting does not provide comparable technical or cost data for competing providers, so it cannot support a ranking of them.
How the EU’s IRIS² programme fits in
The European Union’s IRIS² programme is a relevant part of the broader secure-connectivity landscape. In a written answer, the European Parliament described its objectives as providing secure connectivity for the EU and member states, alongside broadband connectivity for governmental authorities, private companies and citizens. The Parliament’s answer provides programme context; it does not establish that IRIS² was an immediately available or direct substitute for the services Italy was considering.
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What is—and is not—established
The statements and reporting above describe Italy’s position on January 9, 2025. They establish that the government was exploring options, that SpaceX was among the companies in discussions, and that Meloni said no contract had been signed at that point. They do not establish the eventual procurement outcome, later safeguards, or the status of any service as of October 4, 2026.
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