EU funds satellite internet for Greenland’s remote regions
Monday 7th September 2026 on 12:30 in
Denmark
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has signed an agreement to strengthen internet connections in Greenland’s remote regions, DR reported Monday.
The agreement was signed during a visit to Eutelsat OneWeb Satellite near Nuuk, attended by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s government leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
It is expected to provide around 9.1 million euros in EU funding over five years for satellite-based internet in northern and eastern Greenland. Denmark will co-finance the project with 15 million kroner.
Greenlanders in Nuuk and nearby areas already have good internet connections, while conditions are different in the north and east. The investment is expected to increase internet speeds from 6 megabits per second to 15 megabits per second, according to Jonas Hasselriis, chief executive of Tusass, Greenland’s national telecommunications and postal company.
“That means people will be able to stream normally,” Hasselriis said.
The satellite connection will also provide an additional link to remote settlements and improve supply security. They are currently connected through a radio link, a wireless digital network that transports internet and telephone services over long distances using transmitters and receivers placed on mountains and peaks along the coast.
If the radio link fails, towns and settlements lose their connections, Hasselriis said. However, he added that better speeds would be the most important improvement for ordinary customers in daily life.
The project is only a small part of the EU investments von der Leyen is expected to announce during her visit. The Financial Times has previously reported that the total package will amount to 200 million euros, equivalent to around 1.5 billion kroner.
Von der Leyen, Frederiksen and Nielsen did not comment on the agreement after it was signed. They were due to hold a press conference later Monday, where they are expected to present a joint declaration on cooperation between Greenland, the EU and Denmark, as well as the remaining EU investments.