Satellite frequencies: Brussels takes back control of European airspace

It has taken 18 years. In 2008, the European Union granted two US operators, Viasat and EchoStar, exclusive rights to the 2 GHz satellite frequency band, which enables mobile phones and connected devices to communicate seamlessly, even in the most remote areas. These licences are due to expire in May 2027, and this time Brussels has no intention of renewing the arrangement in exactly the same way. The European Commission today adopted a proposal that radically reshuffles the deck.

The text, spearheaded by Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, reserves two-thirds of the spectrum for European operators and leaves only one-third open to international competition. The 2 GHz band has become a major strategic asset, as it is the ideal frequency for connecting smartphones directly to satellites without special equipment – the famous ‘Direct-to-Device’ technology that heralds the future of 6G. Without intervention from Brussels, this spectrum would have remained entirely in American hands: through a series of successive takeovers, EchoStar was absorbed by Starlink last autumn, placing the bulk of Europe’s digital sky under the control of Elon Musk’s empire.

The Commission is now dividing the spectrum into three equal blocks. The first, reserved for a European operator, will cover government, defence, security and crisis management uses, and must be integrated into IRIS², the EU’s secure constellation. The second will be open only to new European entrants to the commercial market, whilst the third will remain accessible to all, including Starlink or Amazon Leo, confined at best to a third of a spectrum they had hoped to dominate.

France and Spain had been leading the charge since April, calling for satellite frequencies to be treated as a matter of technological sovereignty. The risk of US retaliation remains real, and to defuse tensions, Henna Virkkunen pointed out that Washington itself had just reserved its own MSS band for a national operator. The licences for Viasat and EchoStar will nevertheless be extended for two years, with no possibility of transfer to Starlink, their new owner. The rights will then be granted for 20 years, renewable, which should help recoup colossal investments. For the first time since 2008, it may not be the Americans who hold the keys to European airspace. Les Échos

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