The European Commission has moved to reserve two-thirds of a satellite spectrum band for European operators, with the proposal targeting the 2 GHz mobile satellite allocation and putting more of the access pathway out of reach for non-European players.global satellite internet
Under the plan, the proposal would split the 2 gigahertz mobile satellite band into three equal slices when current licenses come up for renewal. One block is for a European operator handling government communications integrated into IRIS2, a second block is ring-fenced for EU commercial operators entering the market, and only the final third would remain open to non-European players. Two of the three blocks would be off-limits to American satellite companies that either already use the spectrum or have built business plans around getting access to it.
Viasat uses the 2 GHz band for its hybrid satellite-cellular European Aviation Network, which provides in-flight broadband across Europe, and the split creates uncertainty around whether the service can continue under renewed terms designed for European operators. EchoStar holds adjacent rights in the region related to potential direct-to-device services in Europe, and the same structure would reduce the value of those holdings if resulting services can operate only within one-third of the band. Henna Virkkunen, EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, framed the approach as resilience rather than protectionism, saying high-capacity, widely available satellite connectivity solutions is essential to strengthen the resilience of the EUs communications networks and tying the government block to IRIS2. The proposal is not law yet and would need approval from both the European Parliament and the Council.