After SpaceX restricted use of its Starlink and Starshield satellite internet services in Ukraine, causing fast-moving drones to disconnect and drop out of the sky, Kyiv is looking for alternatives.
Ukraine's Ministry of Defense said on Thursday that it has signed a letter of intent to develop new defense and satellite communication capabilities in partnership with Finnish tech companies Nokia and ICEYE, which makes satellites.
"Modern warfare has proven that reliable communications are a matter of national security," Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement. "We must all rely on capabilities that we can control."
Zelenskyy also announced a partnership with Norway this week to jointly develop air defense and communications systems that could serve as an alternative to Starshield.
Chad Anderson, founder and CEO of venture capital firm Space Capital, said such an alternative could be "two to three years away" and that "matching Starlink's scale is a longer road."