On Wednesday 27 May, the European Commission will be presenting a new proposal on the future use of mobile satellite services (MSS) in the 2 GHz band, which should mainly benefit European businesses in terms of government services. The current authorisation system expires in May 2027.
“A significant proportion of this involves government satellite services (...), obviously for European companies, if not exclusively. In terms of trade, however, we will not totally exclude third countries”, a European source told Agence Europe.
Spain and France have asked the European Commission to reserve part of the spectrum for European companies. “Europe must protect its digital sovereignty, and in particular its satellite connectivity”, said Spain’s Minister for Digital Transformation, Óscar López, at the recent informal meeting of the Council of Telecommunications Ministers in Cyprus.
Of the 30 MHz of capacity at stake, 10 MHz should be reserved for EU-based government service providers, including defence, a further 10 MHz for EU-based commercial service providers and the remaining 10 MHz for EU and non-EU based commercial service providers, a second European source explained, confirming that the licences will be extended for 20 years, renewable. Existing licences could be extended, given the time needed for the proposal to be adopted by the co-legislators.
“The current authorisations expire in May 2027, and the Commission will present a decision on authorisations beyond 2027”, a European Commission spokesperson confirmed to Agence Europe, adding that this issue is on the agenda for the College meeting on 27 May.
The Commission did not immediately confirm how much European preference it probably intends to include in its proposal, but it did acknowledge that “satellite connectivity is a key element of our technological sovereignty, security and defence”, and pointed out that the authorisation regime at EU level favours the cross-border availability of satellite services. (Original version in French by Ana Pisonero Hernández)