by Dianne Northfield
SpaceX’s Starlink is a constellation of satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) that provides broadband internet and satellite direct-to-device services. SpaceX is currently authorised by the FCC to launch 4,408 Gen1 and 15,000 Gen2 satellites. In May 2026, the FCC approved SpaceX’s acquisition of EchoStar's 10 MHz of nationwide H-Block spectrum,… Read more...
by Dianne Northfield
As Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) continues its LEO satellite deployment, it stands in a bolstered position in 2026. In February 2026, the company has been authorised by the FCC to launch an additional 4,504 satellites, ultimately bringing its total fleet to 7,736 satellites. Meanwhile, in April 2026, Amazon announced… Read more...
by Dianne Northfield
Canada-based Telesat is a longstanding geostationary fixed satellite service operator. In 2026, Telesat continues to progress its planned Lightspeed LEO satellite constellation, with the launch of commercial services pushed out to Q1 2028. Having received authorisation to use commercial Ka-band spectrum for the constellation, in March 2026, Telesat announced the… Read more...
by Dianne Northfield
In the wake of potential FCC investigations and forfeitures, in 2025, Echostar sold the majority of its spectrum portfolio to AT&T and SpaceX. As a result of the transactions, Echostar’s Boost Mobile will operate as a hybrid cloud-native mobile network, and its subscribers will have access to SpaceX’s direct-to-device services.… Read more...
by Dianne Northfield
Meta supports balanced spectrum policies that leverage both licensed and unlicensed frameworks and promote efficient spectrum sharing and dynamic spectrum access. Meta also supports local licensing frameworks targeting private 5G networks. In 2026, the company is transitioning its Virtual Reality-based metaverse platform to a mobile-centric platform. Read more...
by Dianne Northfield
Google’s extensive line of connectivity products and solutions typically rely on the use of unlicensed spectrum resources across a wide array of bands, while it also partners with holders of licensed spectrum, operating as an MVNO to deliver its Google Fi Wireless service and its Distributed Cloud Edge private 5G… Read more...
by Dianne Northfield
Amazon is increasingly active in both the wireless and satellite sectors and is a strong supporter of unlicensed and shared spectrum policies. In 2026, the spotlight is on Amazon’s satellite business where Amazon Leo has been authorised by the FCC to add thousands of satellites to its existing constellation, while… Read more...
by Dianne Northfield
PolicyTracker’s private network benchmark now includes nine countries in the Americas that have assigned or plan to assign spectrum for use by private networks, representing 13% of all benchmark countries. Read more...
by Richard Handford
In 2017, the Federal Communications Commission created the rules that govern the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) in the US. Since 2023, the US regulator has proposed several changes to those rules to create "CBRS 2.0". Read more...
by Dianne Northfield
The mantra of spectrum management is the efficient use of scarce radio frequency resources. Over recent years, a number of regulators have sought to enable third party access to unused or under-utilised licensed spectrum resources. Notable examples of this activity are found in the UK, Australia and in several nations… Read more...