ROME, June 6 (Reuters) - Telespazio, a joint venture

between Italian defence and aerospace group Leonardo

and French peer Thales, has signed an agreement with

Elon Musk's SpaceX to commercialise the services of its

satellite unit Starlink, it said on Thursday.

SpaceX's Starlink owns around 60% of the roughly 7,500

satellites orbiting earth and is a dominant player in the

satellite internet sphere.

Its satellites in low-earth orbit are designed to provide

broadband internet services globally, particularly in areas,

such as rural ones, that are poorly served by other networks.

Under the deal, Telespazio will integrate Starlink into its

existing connectivity network, made up of satellite and

terrestrial options.

The accord "further strengthens Telespazio's portfolio in

the satcom segment, allowing it to respond to the needs of

institutions and strategic industry segments, such as the energy

and maritime sectors," said Alessandro Caranci, Telespazio's

Vice President for Satellite Communications.

Telespazio was recently fully consolidated into

state-controlled Leonardo, part of a broader push by the group

to invest in space as one of the pillars of its strategy.