Eutelsat Picks Orange Exec as New CEO

The Great Telecom Heist: How Satellites, 5G, and AI Are Rewriting the Rules of the Game
The world’s connectivity is getting a facelift, and it ain’t pretty—unless you’re into backroom deals, corporate chess moves, and enough tech jargon to make a Wall Street quant blush. The telecom and satellite industries are in the middle of a high-stakes shakeup, where new CEOs swagger in like hired guns, 5G networks spread faster than a tabloid rumor, and Elon Musk’s Starlink plays the wildcard nobody saw coming. Meanwhile, AI’s energy thirst could drain a small country, and everyone’s scrambling to slap a “green” sticker on it. Buckle up, folks. This ain’t your grandpa’s dial-up revolution.
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The New Sheriffs in Town: CEO Shakeups and Corporate Poker

Let’s start with the players. Jean-François Fallacher just waltzed into Eutelsat’s corner office like a telecom cowboy, fresh off his stint as CEO of Orange France. The guy’s got chops—running one of Europe’s biggest telcos isn’t exactly a gig you land by winning a raffle. But here’s the kicker: Eutelsat’s gunning for Starlink, Musk’s pet project that’s been hogging the satellite broadband spotlight. Fallacher’s job? Turn Eutelsat from “that other satellite company” into a contender. Good luck pal—Musk’s got rockets, memes, and a fanbase that’d follow him into a volcano.
Meanwhile, over at Orange, they’re betting big on 5G, handing Ericsson the keys to their French network. It’s a classic move: when in doubt, throw money at Scandinavia’s tech wizards. And Japan’s KDDI? They’re cozying up to AMD like it’s prom night, virtualizing their 5G networks faster than you can say “latency issues.” The message is clear: in telecom, if you’re not upgrading, you’re roadkill.
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5G, Satellites, and the Battle for the Last Mile

Now, let’s talk infrastructure—because nothing says “thrilling” like arguing over signal towers. 5G’s the shiny new toy, but here’s the dirty secret: it’s useless if you live somewhere with more cows than cell sites. Enter Starlink and T-Mobile’s tag-team act, promising to beam service to your phone from space. Sounds sci-fi? Sure. But if it works, rural areas might finally get online without relying on a DSL line older than their grandma’s casserole recipe.
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are the dark horse here. Cheaper to launch, faster to deploy—but can they really replace good ol’ ground networks? The telecom old guard says no way. The disruptors? They’re already selling tickets to the future. Either way, the “last mile” problem just got a lot more interesting.
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AI’s Energy Hangover: Who’s Paying the Bill?

And then there’s AI. Oh boy. Every CEO’s favorite buzzword is also a power hog with the subtlety of a chainsaw in a library. Aman Khan’s ringing the alarm: U.S. data centers could slurp up an extra 50 gigawatts yearly thanks to AI. That’s enough juice to light up a mid-sized country—or, you know, keep ChatGPT from spitting out nonsense about historical figures fighting kangaroos.
So what’s the plan? “Green energy,” they say, like it’s a magic spell. Solar panels on server farms, wind turbines humming beside data centers—sure, it sounds noble. But let’s be real: when the AI hype train derails, somebody’s gonna be left holding the utility bill.
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Case Closed, Folks
The telecom and satellite worlds are playing 4D chess with our connectivity, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Fallacher’s got a mountain to climb at Eutelsat, 5G’s racing ahead while satellites play catch-up, and AI’s energy bill is coming due. One thing’s certain: the next decade of connectivity will be messy, expensive, and—if we’re lucky—a little less buffering. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date with some instant ramen and a stack of broadband bills. The things I do for journalism.