The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition that Canada's Terrestar Solutions has agreed to work with the United Arab Emirates' Space42 PLC and U.S.-based Viasat on a global, open standard to share satellite infrastructure and improve connectivity for mobile devices. A Bloomberg dispatch to the Post says the move is an example of smaller space firms banding together in the face of the push by SpaceX's Starlink to get deeper into wireless services. Montreal's Terrestar, which is backed by Fortress Investment Group, will work on open interoperability standards with Equatys, a joint venture that Viasat and Space42 launched last month. A memorandum of understanding between the companies was signed in Ottawa this week during Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan's visit to Ottawa, where he met with Prime Minister Mark Carney. Officials in Europe have intensified discussions about ways to reduce their reliance on the U.S. following the recent incident around Ukraine's Starlink restrictions. Meanwhile, U.S. threats against Canadian sovereignty have prompted Mr. Carney to review the vulnerabilities in the country's telecommunications network. The PM has said he wants an alternative to Starlink.
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