Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni said Thursday that her government is in talks with several private companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, over the country’s telecoms security system, but denied having discussed the issue privately with Musk. “I never talked about this with Musk. It’s not my habit to use my public role to do favors to friends,” Meloni said, responding to reporters’ questions during her start-of-the-year press conference on a possible deal with Musk’s group over Italian telecoms security.
Meloni stressed that national interest was “the only lens” through which she judged such potential contracts with SpaceX, the owner of satellite system Starlink. Reportedly worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) and spread over five years, the project sparked an outcry by Italy's opposition parties, questioning that the handling of such communications could be handed to a Musk company.
If the deal is sealed, SpaceX would provide encryption services for the Italian government and communications infrastructure for the military and emergency services. Earlier this week, Meloni denied forging such a deal with Musk – who has developed a friendly relationship with the Italian premier. A government statement went even further, “categorically” denying that a SpaceX deal was discussed during Meloni’s recent meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago.
“SpaceX allows very delicate information to be communicated securely on a diplomatic and military level,” Meloni told Thursday’s press conference. “Regarding the method, I can say that these are discussions that the government has with many private companies.”.
