Italy’s Prime Minister, Meloni, intends to buy Starlink X for military and government use
Politico:
The contract would last five years and has already been approved by the Italian intelligence services and Ministry of Defense. If successful, SpaceX would provide encryption services for the government and communications infrastructure for the military and emergency services.
Musk's Italy representative Stroppa said in his post that the deal would save Italy more than €8 billion and would be up and running in a few months, rather than the eight to 10 years it would take competitors. Stroppa is one of the people named in an Italian probe of alleged corruption in public procurement contracts, Reuters reported last year.
Also:
Antonio Misiani, former deputy finance minister and senator for the opposition Democratic Party, told POLITICO that if the deal is confirmed, it would amount to an “unacceptable sell-out of national sovereignty.”
An agreement would mean that Italy would be buying services from “a company owned by a well-known tycoon closely linked to the American and international ultra-right,” rather than from Italian and European companies, Misiani said.
Considering Musk is openly supporting far-right parties in Germany and UK, Italy’s move to buy from Musk $1.8bn worth of technology is demeaning to say the least.