Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denied Thursday talking to Elon Musk about a cybersecurity deal with the American billionaire's SpaceX company following reports that sparked controversy in Italy.

Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni said her government is in talks with private companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, over the country’s telecoms security system, but denied having discussed the issue

Elon Musk said on Monday he was ready to provide Italy with secure communication services after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denied that the issue had come up during a weekend visit to the United States.

Italy is reportedly close to sealing a €1.5 billion (£1.25 billion) deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX that would provide the country’s government with secure telecommunications.

Italy is in advanced discussions with SpaceX to use its Starlink satellite Network for secure government communications, potentially leading to a €1.5 billion, five-year contract. This deal, discussed during a recent meeting between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago,

Italy is in advanced talks with Elon Musk's SpaceX over a 1.5 billion euro ($1.55 billion) deal for the company to provide secure telecommunications to the government, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday.

The services proposed by SpaceX may include encryption for telephone and internet communications used by the Italian government and military. The deal has been under review since mid-2023 but has faced opposition from local telecommunication providers.

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday she had never discussed with Elon Musk a potential deal to use his Starlink to supply secure communications for the military.

Reports that Elon Musk's SpaceX is in advanced negotiations with the Italian government over the provision of internet and telecommunications via its Starlink system have raised security and competition concerns.