Italy is in the final stages of negotiations with Elon Musk's SpaceX on an agreement to provide secure telecommunications for the country's government. About this reported the Bloomberg.
Discussions are ongoing and a final agreement on a five-year contract has yet to be signed, the sources said. The project has already received the approval of the Italian special services and the Ministry of Defense of Italy.
"On Monday, the Italian government confirmed that negotiations are ongoing, but noted that there is no agreement yet. Negotiations with SpaceX are part of the government's normal work." - stated in the statement.
The talks, which had previously been suspended, moved forward after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloni visited US President-elect Donald Trump in Florida on Saturday. The Italian government said the issue was not discussed during the meeting.
Italian officials are negotiating a $1,6 billion deal to provide the country with a full range of highly secure encryption services for government phone and Internet communications, sources said.
The plan also includes communications services for the Italian army in the Mediterranean region, as well as the launch of satellite communications services with direct access to mobile phones in case of emergencies such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters.
A possible deal has been under review since mid-2023. However, it is facing opposition among some Italian officials, who are concerned that the services could reduce the role of local telecom operators.
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