Italy Is Getting Cold Feet Over Deal to Use Musk's Starlink
Save
The Italian government is having growing doubts about closing a €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) deal with Elon Musk's Starlink in light of the US pullback from commitments to European security, people familiar with the matter said.
Possible alternatives to Starlink for secure satellite-based communications to the government include Eutelsat Communications SA, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are confidential. Musk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, is also seen as an unreliable partner by some in Meloni's administration, they said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Wire
28 minutes ago
- Business Wire
AMPECO and Autel Europe Strengthen EV Charging Infrastructure With Successful OCPP 2.0.1 Integration
AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AMPECO, a global leader in EV charging management software, and Autel Europe, a leading provider of EV charging solutions, announce the successful completion of comprehensive OCPP 2.0.1 testing between Autel's MaxiCharger DH480 and AMPECO's EV charging management platform. This achievement empowers Charge Point Operators (CPOs) with enhanced operational control, improved security, and advanced energy management capabilities essential for scaling modern EV charging networks across Europe. Autel Europe and AMPECO achieve successful OCPP 2.0.1 integration — empowering CPOs with secure, future-ready, and scalable EV charging infrastructure. The successful OCPP 2.0.1 integration delivers significant operational advantages that directly address the challenges faced by today's CPOs. The advanced security framework provides robust cybersecurity protection with Level 2 TLS encryption and certificate-based authentication, ensuring CPOs can maintain secure operations while meeting increasingly stringent regulatory requirements across European markets. The protocol enables sophisticated load balancing and dynamic charging profiles, allowing CPOs to optimize energy distribution across multiple charging points - crucial for managing peak demand periods and reducing operational costs while maximizing station utilization. OCPP 2.0.1 support positions CPOs for emerging technologies including Plug&Charge functionality. This forward compatibility protects infrastructure investments and enables new revenue opportunities as the EV ecosystem evolves. Advanced remote management capabilities allow CPOs to monitor, control, and troubleshoot charging sessions in real-time, significantly reducing on-site maintenance requirements and improving network uptime. The MaxiCharger DH480 is a 480 kW all-in-one DC charging solution designed for high-demand environments such as highway corridors, commercial depots, and public charging hubs. Its modular architecture offers flexibility in deployment, simplified maintenance, and easy scalability to suit various site requirements. With support for up to four simultaneous charging outputs, the MaxiCharger DH480 enables operators to charge multiple vehicles at once - optimizing energy distribution and reducing queue times during peak hours. The charger is also built for straightforward installation and upgrade, making it well-suited for evolving infrastructure needs. The integration testing validated critical functionalities including secure communication protocols, remote session management, and smart charging profile compatibility. The MaxiCharger DH480 successfully passed the OCPP 2.0.1 integration test with AMPECO's platform, demonstrating full compliance with key technical requirements. The validation process focused on secure communication with Level 2 TLS encryption and basic authentication, remote session management capabilities, and smart charging profiles compatibility for advanced load management and grid-responsive charging strategies. "The integration with Autel Europe demonstrates AMPECO's commitment to providing CPOs with best-in-class hardware integration options," said Glenn L'Heveder, Head of Sales and Business Development Europe at AMPECO. "OCPP 2.0.1 represents a significant leap forward in charging infrastructure capabilities, and our successful integration with the MaxiCharger DH480 ensures that CPOs can confidently deploy these advanced features. This collaboration exemplifies our hardware-agnostic approach, giving operators the flexibility to choose preferred hardware partners while maintaining the highest levels of performance and reliability." 'We are pleased to see the DH480 successfully integrated with AMPECO's platform,' said Andreas Lastei, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Autel Europe. 'This collaboration reflects our ongoing commitment to open standards and practical, interoperable solutions that make it easier for charge point operators to scale their networks with confidence. By working closely with trusted software partners like AMPECO, we aim to accelerate the development of reliable and future-oriented EV charging infrastructure across Europe. This integration also marks an important first step — our latest-generation product line will soon be fully compatible with OCPP 2.0.1, further expanding the possibilities for seamless and future-proof network deployment.' About AUTEL Energy Europe Autel Energy Europe is a leading provider of EV charging solutions, offering a full range of high-performance AC and DC chargers. Operating in 33 European countries, Autel delivers scalable, efficient infrastructure for residential, commercial, and public use. Its MaxiCharger product line supports the region's accelerating shift toward electric mobility through advanced technology, reliability, and smart energy design. For more information, visit: About AMPECO AMPECO enables large-scale EV charging providers to launch and scale their business operations under their brand. The company offers a white-label and hardware-agnostic EV charging management platform to cover all EV charging business cases. It has a comprehensive out-of-the-box feature set that allows quick go-to-market while providing unmatched flexibility and extensibility via API to enable businesses to build their differentiators. AMPECO supports more than 170 charging network operators in over 65 countries. It has been globally recognized by Frost & Sullivan, Financial Times, Forbes, Deloitte, and PwC for its technological product innovation and strategic business development. For more information, visit:
CNBC
29 minutes ago
- CNBC
'We don't have to ask Putin for permission to station troops in Ukraine', says former Lithuanian foreign minister
Gabrielius Landsbergis, former foreign minister of Lithuania, discusses the European leaders gathering in D.C. in support of Ukraine's president Zelenskyy's efforts to stop Russia's aggression.
29 minutes ago
Russia launches largest attack of August on Ukraine after Trump-Zelenskyy meeting
LONDON -- Ukraine's air force reported a major Russian attack on Monday night and into Tuesday morning -- the largest overnight barrage for weeks, coming while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump and a delegation of European leaders in Washington. The air force said Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles into Ukraine, of which 30 drones and six missiles were intercepted or suppressed. The air force reported the impacts of 40 drones and four missiles across 16 locations, with debris reportedly falling in three locations. Monday night's attack was the largest attack since Russia launched 309 drones and eight missiles into Ukraine on July 31, according to the daily figures published by the Ukrainian air force and analyzed by ABC News. Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down 23 Ukrainian drones overnight into Tuesday morning. Thirteen of the craft were downed over the Volgograd region, the ministry said. Regional Gov. Andrey Bocharov said on Telegram that falling debris set fires at an oil refinery and on the roof of a hospital building, though added there were no casualties. The overnight exchanges bookended a day of high-level talks in Washington. Trump, Zelenskyy and a host of European leaders met in the capital on Monday to discuss a possible roadmap to end Russia's full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022. Monday's summit followed a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, during which Putin refused an immediate ceasefire and demanded that Ukraine cede the entirety of its eastern Donetsk region in exchange for an end to the fighting, two sources told ABC News. Ahead of Monday's meetings, Trump appeared to be pressuring Zelenskyy into making a deal. "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight," Trump wrote on social media on Sunday. The president also said Ukraine would not be allowed to join NATO and would not be able to regain Crimea -- occupied by Russia in 2014. Such remarks raised concerns of another fractious Oval Office meeting, akin to Zelenskyy's February visit when the Ukrainian leader was publicly lambasted by Trump and Vice President JD Vance for his alleged ingratitude for American wartime support. But Monday's meetings were cordial, though the parties still appeared to be some way apart on key issues. Trump, Zelenskyy and European leaders all confirmed their support for a direct bilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin -- a proposal the Russian president has repeatedly dodged. Such a meeting would be followed by a trilateral meeting involving Trump, the president said. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is "ready" for a trilateral discussion. Trump remarked, "I think it's going to be when, not if." Later, Trump posted to social meda saying he had spoken by phone with Putin "and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy." The Kremlin is yet to explicitly confirm Putin's readiness to attend such a meeting. Yuri Ushakov, a top Kremlin aide, said in a statement that Trump and Putin "expressed their support for the continuation of direct negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations." "In this regard, in particular, the idea was discussed that the level of representatives from the Ukrainian and Russian sides should be increased," Ushakov said. "This refers to the representatives who participate in the aforementioned direct negotiations." On the question of security guarantees for Ukraine, Trump said during his meeting with Zelenskyy, "We're going to be discussing it today, but we will give them very good protection, very good security." The president later confirmed that Putin would accept security guarantees for Ukraine, though Russian officials on Monday said that the presence of NATO troops in the country would be unacceptable. Zelenskyy and his European partners again stressed their desire for a full ceasefire, only after which peace negotiations could take place. Trump has repeatedly demanded a ceasefire since returning to office in January, but appeared to drop the idea after last week's meeting with Putin. "I don't think you need a ceasefire," Trump told Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Monday. "I know that it might be good to have, but I can also understand strategically, like, well, you know, one country or the other wouldn't want it." Trump added that he likes "the concept of a ceasefire for one reason, because you'd stop killing people immediately." Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Trump for hosting the meeting, and wrote on Telegram afterwards thanking the White House for "the important signal from the USA regarding readiness to support and be part of" post-war security guarantees. "The leaders personally came to support Ukraine and discuss everything that will bring us closer to real peace, a reliable security architecture that will protect Ukraine and all of Europe," Zelenskyy wrote. Post-meeting comments from European leaders, though, hinted at unresolved obstacles to peace. "You have an American president, European presidents and a Ukrainian president all wanting peace," French President Emmanuel Macron said. "For my part, I have the greatest doubts about the reality of a desire for peace on the part of the Russian president, because as long as he thinks he can win through war, he will do so," Macron added. "His ultimate objective is to take as much territory as possible, to weaken Ukraine and to have a Ukraine that is not viable alone or is within the Russian fold." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the thorny issue of Ukrainian territorial concessions was not discussed. "The Russian demand that Kyiv give up the free parts of Donbas is, to put it in perspective, equivalent to the U.S. having to give up Florida," he said. "A sovereign state cannot simply decide something like that. It is a decision that Ukraine must make itself in the course of negotiations," Merz added.
