Several nations in Europe have adopted innovative approaches to spectrum licence renewals, as profiled in this Research Note. In each case, there has been a distinct policy shift over the last decade in terms of both the widespread adoption of administrative renewal mechanisms rather than re-auctions and a policy emphasis… Read more...

Just over twenty per cent of spectrum licence renewals in Europe are based on new awards to re-auction spectrum with expiring licences pending. Many licence renewals in the region are based on multiband auctions, including bands with spectrum which are nearing renewal dates and new 5G bands. The modification or… Read more...

Over 70% of European nations included in the benchmark use administrative procedures to implement licence renewals and extensions. The renewal procedures across the region are used extensively to modify or add new coverage commitments, in some cases in exchange for waived or discounted upfront payments for spectrum grants. Read more...

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are doing better than many EU member states on 5G coverage, but Russian and Belarusian cross-border 5G spectrum interference and GNSS signal jamming remain challenges. Read more...

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...

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...

Having completed its auction of 1800 MHz spectrum in November 2025, in 2026, Sweden’s regulator PTS is exploring the possible auction of spectrum in the 1500 MHz range, along with the award of a single license in the 700 MHz range. PTS does not envisage the release of spectrum in… Read more...

In 2025, Italy’s regulator AGCOM decided to renew (rather than re-auction) mobile licences that are set to expire across multiple bands in 2029. In 2026, AGCOM plans to launch a consultation to set the conditions for these licence renewals. AGCOM is now also focused on the second round of licensing… Read more...

After completing its highly-anticipated auction of 700 MHz and 800 MHz spectrum in early 2025, Poland’s regulator UKE spent the following months on consulting an extension of 900 MHz spectrum licences, relaunching an attempt to assign 3.8-4.2 GHz spectrum for private networks, but also intensify its fight against spectrum interference… Read more...

In Russia, 5G spectrum is the subject of ongoing discussions between the state and local mobile network operators (MNOs), as both seek to protect their interests. To facilitate rollout, Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media is considering expanding the spectrum available in its primary 5G band, 4.4–4.99… Read more...