Canada’s Telesat is stepping up as a serious Telesat Starlink rival, backed by a multi-billion dollar satellite investment and a landmark deal with the Canadian government. The Ottawa-based satellite operator wants to challenge Elon Musk’s dominance in low-Earth orbit broadband, and it is putting real money behind that ambition.

The company is investing more than $7 billion to build and launch Telesat Lightspeed, an advanced global low-Earth orbit high-speed broadband satellite network. This project marks one of the most significant private-sector space bets in Canadian history.

A Record-Breaking Government Contract

The massive investment became possible only after Telesat signed a $2.7 billion contract with the federal government. According to company president and CEO Daniel Goldberg, this is the largest government deal in Telesat’s history, and it changes the trajectory of the entire business.

Goldberg described the moment in dramatic terms. He told BNN Bloomberg it was an <br>“Absolute home run for the Canadian Armed Forces, big home run for Canadian industry, and will be a great outcome for our customers all over the world.”

As a result of this deal, Telesat is expanding its satellite constellation by 44 per cent, growing from 156 to 225 satellites. The expanded network will support national defence and security needs first, with commercial service launching in early 2028.

Perfect Timing for the Space Market

Goldberg believes the timing could not be better for this expansion. Global instability, in his view, is fueling unprecedented demand for secure, sovereign satellite capability.

“These geopolitical shifts that all of us have witnessed over the last 18 months are creating massive demand opportunities for Telesat,” he explains. Because of this shift, he expects more government contracts to follow soon.

“We fully expect [the federal contract] will be followed by other contracts with other sovereign users who need this capability to meet all of their requirements,” Goldberg says. Consequently, he predicts defence customers will eventually generate almost half of all Lightspeed revenue.

Telesat is not building this constellation alone, either. The company is working closely with MDA Space, a Canadian space technology firm that will manufacture the satellites for the Lightspeed program.

SpaceX: Rival and Launch Partner at Once

In an unusual twist, Telesat has contracted SpaceX for roughly US$1 billion to launch its entire Lightspeed constellation. In other words, SpaceX will help deploy the very satellites designed to compete against its own Starlink service.

SpaceX will use its Falcon 9 rockets to carry Telesat’s satellites into orbit, with launches beginning in 2026. Despite the competitive rivalry, Goldberg confirms the business relationship remains strong.

“Telesat is SpaceX’s largest customer after the U.S. government,” he notes. This partnership shows how tightly interconnected the commercial space industry has become, even among direct competitors.

A Shrinking Legacy Business, But Not a Surprise

While Lightspeed grows, Telesat’s older satellite business continues to shrink. However, Goldberg insists this decline was fully expected and lines up with guidance the company gave earlier this year.

The company reported revenue of $79 million in its second quarter, a drop of 25 per cent compared to the same period last year. This decline reflects a broader shift away from Telesat’s legacy geostationary satellite operations.

“It’s very predictable, and again, we guided the market pretty much consistent with what we’ve seen,” Goldberg says. Meanwhile, the company continues shifting resources toward Lightspeed, which will eventually compete directly with Starlink.

During the first six months of the year, Telesat invested $337 million into Lightspeed. Following the constellation’s expansion to 225 satellites, the company also raised its 2026 spending forecast from between $1.3 billion and $1.5 billion.

“We’ve added some features to the constellation, the spectrum that it operates on, the way that traffic can be routed on the constellation that we think are unique,” Goldberg explains. He adds that these features are of particular interest to defence users worldwide.

Debt Concerns Loom in December

Despite the optimism, Telesat faces a serious financial challenge ahead. Goldberg acknowledges that current cash resources are not sufficient to pay off the company’s $1.7 billion debt, which matures in December.

“That’s the kind of disclosure that we’ve made in our financial statements, and our focus is on working with the existing lenders, reaching a consensual outcome that’s fair to them, that’s fair to all of our stakeholders,” Goldberg states. This remains a key focus for the company in the months ahead.

Taking Aim at Starlink and the Broader Market

Goldberg says Telesat already holds more than $5 billion in customer commitments for Lightspeed. Looking further ahead, he expects the global satellite market to eventually support several major providers rather than just one.

“Right now it’s really just Starlink that’s out there in the market. Next up will be Telesat. Amazon is also coming into this market,” he says. Therefore, competition in this sector is only expected to intensify over the coming years.

For context, Starlink, the satellite subsidiary of SpaceX, generated over US$11 billion in revenue in 2025. Analysts reportedly expect that figure to exceed US$15.5 billion in 2026, highlighting just how large this market has become.

Goldberg predicts the global satellite market will eventually surpass US$350 billion, driven largely by users who want multiple provider options. As a result, he sees plenty of room for Telesat to carve out a meaningful share.

“I think if we execute well, and we’re going to execute well, we’re gonna drive huge value in our business,” Goldberg concludes. Ultimately, Telesat’s success will depend on hitting its 2028 launch timeline while managing its looming debt obligations.