Oxford-based OpenCosmos, backed by the CIA's venture capital fund, is positioning itself as a British Starlink rival with plans to manufacture nearly 200 satellites annually. The company announced its ConnectedCosmos network at Mobile World Congress, seeking to provide Europe with a sovereign alternative to Elon Musk's satellite constellation.

Founder and CEO Rafel Jorda Siquier said the company's Harwell facility near Oxford can now produce a satellite every three days. The start-up secured key spectrum rights from Liechtenstein regulators in January, allowing it to launch up to 288 satellites by 2028. These rights, valued at billions, caught industry observers by surprise.

European governments and telecoms companies have grown wary of relying on Starlink, particularly given Musk's mercurial nature during the Ukraine conflict. While Europe's own Iris 2 network is planned, it won't be ready until 2030 and is expected to cost billions of euros. OpenCosmos aims to fill this gap, offering reliable connectivity without dependence on US or Chinese systems.