Weekly Wrap: What will the EU do with its harmonised MSS band?

The history of the band is fraught with complications, truly beginning when Brussels chose Inmarsat (since acquired by Viasat) and Solaris (now Echostar) to provide MSSMobile-satellite service (MSS) describes a… across the EU, leading to national authorisations to use portions of the band for 18 years. Since then, interest and development in the band have been slow for the largest part of the licence duration.

However, with the explosion of interest in the launch of direct-to-device services, it’s clear just how lucrative many in the satellite industry and beyond find the band.

Viasat and Echostar now must contend against several competitors vying for access to the band in pursuit of launching a direct-to-device service. The consultation has received 64 responses from regulators, satellite companies, airlines and mobile network operators.

Omnispace, Sateliot, Skylo, Space42, Fossa Systems, Eutelsat and Apogeo have all said in their consultation responses that they are interested in launching some form of satellite service should they be granted authorisation in part of the band.

Notably, Lynk Global (fresh off a merger with Omnispace) have advocated for the usage of the 2 GHz EU MSS band for D2D, but has withheld all details of their own launch plans. While clearly supportive, one must wonder why the company hasn’t thrown down the gauntlet more forcefully.

Then come the absentees. Starlink, the dominant satellite D2D provider with more than 650 satellites in its dedicated constellation, have not responded to the consultation at all. Despite their recent announcement signalling the launch of a D2D service in the UK in partnership with O2, they have not publicly moved on this consultation. We can assume they answered it confidentially.

AST Spacemobile are also conspicuously absent from the consultation unredacted responses, despite making a pitch to the EU for access to the 2 GHz band following the announcement of a new operations centre in Germany and an EU satellite broadband constellation as recently as last week.

This isn’t the same playing ground that it was 18 years ago. Combine heightened competition, many companies being cash-rich and based in the United States, and further debate over how the band should be split, and it becomes clear the Commission has a difficult task on its hands.

Could this lead to an auction, as has previously been floated? A beauty contest? Regardless of the selection process, the Commission must strive to be careful in how it moves forward, strive to uplift European players and scrutinise to favour the sovereignty and security it so desperately seeks.

Here’s what PolicyTracker covered this week:

• India’s regulator, the TRAI, has asked for views on how to calculate the reserve price of the upper 6 GHz band for any future auction.
• Critics have attacked new rules on mobile sites they fear will slow down rollout.
• The US’s CBRS service has seen slow growth in the past year, with supported of the sharing regime arguing regulatory uncertainty is to blame.
• Texan satellite manufacturer AST Spacemobile have made their play for the EU 2 GHz MSS band with the announcement of a new EU constellation and German operations centre.
• The mobile industry is set to win additional spectrum in the upper 6 GHz range in the EU, as the RSPGRSPG stands for the Radio Spectrum Policy … looks set to publish its latest recommendation.