The European Commission is preparing to reserve two-thirds of the EU's 2 GHz mobile-satellite-services spectrum exclusively for European operators, with the UK and Norway also eligible. The remaining third would be open to non-EU companies including Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper. The reserved spectrum is expected to benefit the IRIS2 constellation consortium (SES, Eutelsat, Hispasat), backed by €6.5bn in public funds. Current licensees Viasat and EchoStar, both US-listed, would fall into the non-EU third despite holding the spectrum today. The move is part of Brussels' broader push for strategic autonomy in space, driven by concerns over Starlink dependency and a wider pattern of restricting US-firm access to strategic technology categories.
Sort: