If it wins the contract, the consortium will be required to run a system of hundreds of satellites in multiple orbits, from the traditional geostationary path about 22,000 miles (35,406 kilometers) away from earth to closer ones.

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IRIS², which stands for “infrastructure for resilience, interconnectivity and security by satellite,” will provide access to government agencies, including defense departments, and businesses. It also will be deployed to connect parts of the EU that don’t have internet. The EU has said the constellation will provide critical infrastructure and reinforce its technological sovereignty as other countries, such as China, as well as private companies, develop their own systems.

Billionaire Elon Musk is currently the largest operator of low-earth orbit satellites. He’s already launched thousands of Starlink satellites using Space Exploration Technologies Corp. rockets. Low-earth orbit fleets pass fewer than 600 miles from the planet’s surface and offer faster connection speeds, but need many more satellites to cover the same landmass than satellites at higher orbits. Other such systems are being backed by Amazon.com Inc. and OneWeb Ltd.

The IRIS² satellites will start providing service next year and will reach full capacity by 2027. The EU’s contribution to the overall cost will be €2.4 billion, according to a March statement. Another €685 million will come from the European Space Agency and the rest will come from the private sector.

The consortium will work with telecom and technology companies Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange SA, OHB SE, Hisdesat Servicios Estrategicos SA and Telespazio SpA and Thales SA, the group said in the statement.

The group is also seeking startups to join it, and the EU is aiming for them to build 30% of the final system.