The European Commission has stated that the new rules on the allocation of spectrum for mobile satellite communications will not result in Starlink and other operators from outside Europe withdrawing entirely from the EU market.
Toma Renier, the European Commission’s spokesperson on defence and space affairs, told Radio Free Europe this. He was commenting on a Financial Times report that European telecoms groups had joined forces to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink system.
According to the Financial Times, operators Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone have agreed to jointly bid for spectrum for satellite communications directly to smartphones.
Currently, licences to use these frequencies in Europe are held by two American operators. In 2009, when they were granted the licences, the companies were European, but they were later acquired by American firms. Starlink has agreements with these operators regarding the use of the frequencies.
Renier explained that the current licences are due to expire in May 2027. After that, the European Commission is proposing a new allocation of the 2 GHz band, which is used for mobile satellite communications.
According to him, the band will be divided into three parts: one third will be reserved for secure government communications, another third exclusively for European operators, and the remaining third will be available for use by all others – both European and non-European companies. Starlink will therefore retain access to part of the spectrum.
“When it comes to secure government satellite communications, including for military purposes, the operator must be European – full stop,” said the European Commission spokesperson.
Renier described strengthening the European Union’s sovereignty in this area as critically important, adding: “But at the same time, we naturally remain open to a certain extent.”
According to the Financial Times, European telecoms operators do not intend to set up their own satellite constellation. Instead, they plan to build the necessary ground infrastructure and subsequently select a partner – a satellite operator.
Therefore, the launch of a joint European initiative does not mean that Starlink will automatically lose access to the market. The American company could, in theory, apply for a portion of the spectrum or continue to operate through partnerships with European mobile operators.
At the same time, the new scheme will allow European operators to retain control over a much larger share of strategically important satellite spectrum and will create the conditions for the development of European satellite services.
How this will affect Starlink’s operations in Ukraine
SpaceX has criticised the European Commission’s plans for the new frequency allocation. According to the Financial Times, the company has warned that the changes could impair Starlink’s operations in Europe and potentially affect communications in Ukraine.
When asked about the possible impact of the new regulations on Starlink and Ukraine, Renier did not confirm that the changes posed a threat to the service’s operation. Instead, he specifically emphasised that Brussels is concerned about recent reports of restrictions on Starlink in Ukraine and called on SpaceX to ‘fully restore’ the service ‘as a matter of urgency’.
The current discussion regarding licences for the 2 GHz band primarily concerns future direct-to-device services — direct satellite-to-smartphone connections — rather than conventional satellite internet via Starlink terminals.