Bouygues CEO Olivier Roussat warned Thursday that Europe is dangerously over-reliant on U.S. satellite and AI infrastructure, citing Starlink in particular, even as his company pursues a 20.35 billion euro bid for French telecoms operator SFR.
The chief executive of one of France's largest engineering and telecommunications groups issued a pointed warning Thursday about Europe's reliance on American technology infrastructure, singling out Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network and U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence as two areas of acute strategic vulnerability.
"There [are] two things for the future where we need [Europe to] realize how big it is. This is AI, and this is satellite," Bouygues CEO Olivier Roussat told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Thursday. "Europe doesn't realize exactly how dangerous it is to just rely on the American infrastructure."
Roussat's remarks come as SpaceX's Starlink operates a constellation of approximately 10,000 satellites, making it the dominant provider of global satellite internet service. SpaceX is separately planning to list on Nasdaq in what analysts have described as a potential candidate for the largest IPO on record.
The Bouygues CEO flagged Europe's exposure to a non-state actor—like Starlink—that could, in theory, unilaterally interrupt the continent's connectivity. "It's not sure that we absolutely need to get a Starlink or something like this," Roussat said, adding that Europe needs an alternative "to get some sovereignty."
Paris-based Bouygues operates across construction, transport, and telecommunications. On the telecoms front, the company is leading consolidation efforts in France, where operators have endured sustained pressure on margins from intense price competition.
In April, Bouygues submitted a cash bid for the largest share in rival operator SFR, with a total deal value of 20.35 billion euros, equivalent to approximately $23.6 billion. The offer was made jointly with Free–iliad Group and Orange; under the proposed terms, Bouygues Telecom would acquire a 42% stake in SFR, the second-largest telecoms operator in France.
If completed, the transaction would reduce the number of network operators in France from four to three, a consolidation that will require antitrust clearance from European Commission regulators.
Roussat expressed cautious optimism that regulators would approve the deal. "The game for them [the European Commission] is to set up conditions where we will have a fair competition between us, and I think it's possible," he said Thursday.
The remarks underscore a widening debate within Europe over digital sovereignty, as policymakers and corporate leaders weigh the strategic risks of dependence on infrastructure controlled by U.S. companies or figures with ties to the American government. With SpaceX's IPO potentially approaching and no European satellite internet provider operating at comparable scale, the window for building a sovereign alternative appears, by Roussat's assessment, to be narrowing.
Sara Montes de Oca is the Editor in Chief of TechEchelon. Previously a correspondent and producer in Washington, D.C., covering business, finance, and politics.
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