Europe must choose between Washington and Beijing

                                        Trump administration official                                                         

Trump administration official: "Confused" Europe must choose between Washington and Beijing

A senior official of President Donald Trump warned European allies hesitant to work with satellite internet company Starlink that they must choose between American and Chinese technology.

 Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr told the Financial Times that "allied Western democracies" need to "focus on the real long-term problem of the rise of the Chinese Communist Party." His comments come as European governments and some European companies consider whether Starlink—owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX, which provides satellite internet and limited mobile phone services—is a reliable partner after Washington threatened to cut off its services in Ukraine.

Carr, a longtime ally of Elon Musk, whom Trump chose to run the agency after his re-election, said it was "unfortunate" that politics were influencing long-term decisions. "If you're worried about Starlink, wait for the Chinese Communist Party version, then you'll be really worried," Carr told the newspaper.

British telecoms companies BT and Virgin Media O2 are among the companies trialing Starlink technology for mobile or broadband services—though neither has yet announced its plans. A full agreement with the provider has not yet been signed.

"Europe is stuck between Washington and Beijing," said Carr, who warned of a "major divide" between "countries aligned with the Chinese Communist Party and others" in artificial intelligence and satellite technology. The FCC chairman—who authored a chapter of Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for a Republican presidency published by the right-wing Heritage Foundation—said European regulators are "biased" against US tech companies.

He also accused the European Commission of "protectionism" and an "anti-American" stance. He said, "If Europe has its own satellite constellation, that's great. I think the more the better. But on a broader scale, I think Europe is stuck between the United States and China. It's time to make a choice."

The European Commission confirmed that it has "applied and will continue to apply the rules fairly and without discrimination to all companies operating in the EU, in full compliance with global rules." Industry experts warned that despite these positive developments, no European network is yet capable of competing with Starlink's offerings.

He said, "I don't like the current situation we're in." Carr added that he would "consider" granting companies faster regulatory approvals for new technologies if they moved to the United States. While Nokia emphasized that the United States is the company's "second home." She added: "About 90% of all US telecom companies use Nokia equipment at some point. We have five manufacturing sites and five R&D centers in the US, including Nokia Bell Labs."

Last month, Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm told the Financial Times that the company would consider expanding manufacturing in the United States depending on the impact of potential tariffs. The Swedish telecoms equipment maker opened its first US factory in Lewisville, Texas, in 2020.