A deal with Algeria's Télédiffusion d'Algérie keeps EUTELSAT 7 West A carrying channels across MENA. OneWeb still needs final Indian approvals before it can begin commercial service.
At the 7/8° west orbital position, EUTELSAT 7 West A carries Algerian television channels across the Middle East and North Africa. Eutelsat has renewed its capacity agreement with Algeria's state broadcaster, Télédiffusion d'Algérie, or TDA. The companies did not disclose financial terms. Satellite Today reported the renewal.
TSA Algérie reported that channels carried from this orbital position could reach about 70 million households across the MENA region. That figure describes potential coverage, not actual viewers or subscribers. For Algeria, the deal preserves a route for its public broadcaster to distribute programming at home and across the region.
The agreement keeps existing satellite capacity in use. That gives Eutelsat a steady broadcasting foothold as it pays for the more demanding expansion of its OneWeb low-Earth-orbit network alongside its geostationary fleet.
Airbus Defence and Space completed the first 32 new OneWeb satellites at its Toulouse facility roughly a week ago. The spacecraft are being prepared for shipment ahead of a launch aboard SpaceX rockets. They are part of a broader refresh covering 669 satellites.
India remains a regulatory bottleneck. As of 9 October, Eutelsat OneWeb had a licence and IN-SPACe authorisation, and its Indian infrastructure was ready. Commercial service still depended on further government approvals, including security clearance. The company said it had completed security-related demonstrations, but those demonstrations did not amount to final government approval, according to ANI's report.
India's communications minister, Chandrasekhar Pemmasani, said satellite operators had received licences and preliminary spectrum allocations. Security checks by the Ministry of Home Affairs were still pending before final spectrum assignment. Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal also confirmed that OneWeb was waiting for its remaining approvals. He gave no launch date. Infrastructure readiness and preliminary spectrum arrangements do not authorize the start of service.
OneWeb is already serving customers elsewhere. Paratus Namibia went live with the network for residential and business customers in Namibia on Thursday. A day earlier, at CABSAT in Dubai, Eutelsat presented combined GEO and LEO connectivity offers for the region. The company is also working with Portuguese provider MEO to broaden OneWeb services there.
As OneWeb works through those approvals, SpaceX is gaining regulatory ground in the United States. On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission authorized the company to launch as many as 15,000 satellites designed to connect directly to mobile devices. Eutelsat was among the companies that objected to the application. SpaceX's agreement to buy Grain Management's 800 MHz spectrum portfolio was followed by broad losses in European telecom stocks on Friday, Reuters reported.
Airport investment is also reshaping the region's infrastructure, including Morocco's airport financing. For Eutelsat, the immediate commercial test is whether satellite capacity can turn into cleared markets and stronger service revenue.
Eutelsat shares closed Friday at EUR 1.39, down 1.1% on the day and 26% over the past 30 days. The price remains well below its 52-week high of EUR 4.62. On 29 September, Bernstein cut its price target from EUR 2.90 to EUR 2.40, Reuters reported.
Eutelsat is due to publish revenue for the first quarter of its 2026-27 fiscal year on 29 October. Investors will be looking for signs that expanded connectivity can support income from the GEO business while the cost of renewing the fleet weighs on the company.
The Algeria renewal protects an established broadcast relationship without requiring a new constellation. OneWeb's hardware still has to reach orbit. Regulatory clearance and new service revenue remain unresolved.
