By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS, May 27 (Reuters) – Non-European satellite operators such as Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s low-earth-orbit business can bid for mobile satellite spectrum, the European Commission said on Wednesday, leaving the door open to U.S. companies while also decreasing the share of spectrum they will be able to acquire.
The EU is pushing to boost the bloc’s tech sovereignty by promoting European companies, driven by concerns over China’s technological rise and the dominance of U.S. tech giants at a time of transatlantic tensions.
But the push has been marked by internal divisions at the Commission, with some wanting to be more aggressive and others wanting a more gradual line.
Two thirds of the available spectrum will be divided equally between EU and non-EU operators for commercial use, the EU executive said, confirming a Reuters report. The move is a compromise after at least one commissioner wanted to exclude U.S. operators.
The remaining third will be reserved for state use such as security and military, which will be provided by an EU operator that will integrate the capability with the EU’s IRIS2 multi-orbit array of 290 satellites, the Commission said. IRIS2 is Europe’s response to Starlink.
The EU executive said its decision aims to allow new operators into the market and that under a transitional period, licenses held by U.S. companies Viasat and EchoStar will be extended for two more years from their current expiry in May 2027.
The 2 GHz frequency band in question is ideal for direct services allowing users to bypass telecoms providers and also for providing critical communication capabilities and ensuring access to high-speed internet in remote areas.
“We want to boost Europe’s competitiveness. We want to strengthen Europe’s security. We want to embrace new technological possibilities. And all of this by taking into account the current changing geopolitical context,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said at a press conference. “Our proposal ticks all these boxes.”
Virkkunen dismissed potential U.S. criticism that the proposal may be targeting U.S. companies. “We are very transparent and fair also with our proposal here,” she said.
The Commission could in future also allow British and Norwegian companies to acquire part of the spectrum allocated to EU operators.
The latest proposal will need to be thrashed out with EU countries and EU lawmakers before it can become law.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Inti Landauro, Kirsten Donovan)
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