The Government backs Brussels' plan to reserve satellite spectrum for European companies for the first time, as requested by Spain

The Government has expressed its support for the European Commission's proposal to reserve, for the first time, a portion of the satellite spectrum for European companies, as Spain had requested a month ago. This was conveyed by the Minister for Digital Transformation and Civil Service, Óscar López, during his participation in the Telecommunications Council of the European Union.

"It is good news that, for the first time, we will have a space reserved for European providers", the Minister stated upon arriving at the Council. López advocated for achieving a "balance" between "market freedom" and the need to "strengthen European sovereignty", an objective pursued by the Commission's new plan.

On 27 May, Brussels presented a proposed regulation that, for the first time, would reserve frequencies in the 2 GHz band-the band best suited for mobile satellite communications-exclusively for European operators. This change reflects the European Commission's recognition that satellite connectivity is a fundamental element of European technological sovereignty, security and defence, an approach with which Spain fully agrees.

It was the Spanish government, through Minister Óscar López, and with the support of France, that raised this issue a month ago at the informal meeting of telecommunications ministers on 29 April in Cyprus. "It is time to decide whether we want our skies to be stronger or more dependent," the minister argued at the time.

Currently, two US companies hold the licences for the use of the frequencies in these bands, but these permits expire in May 2027. Use of these frequencies has been limited until now, but the satellite sector has undergone profound transformations with the emergence of low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations, direct-to-device (D2D) systems that function as cell towers in space, and the development of critical services that affect sovereignty issues by relying on foreign entities for their provision.

A spectrum allocation that prioritises European companies

Specifically, the Commission's text proposes allocating one-third of the 2GHz satellite band to critical communications, security and defence, and establishing an EU operator to guarantee integration with the current and future capabilities of the Union's secure connectivity program infrastructure, IRIS².

The proposal also includes allocating two-thirds of the 2 GHz band to commercial use, such as Direct-to-Device satellite connectivity services, thus guaranteeing mobile coverage when terrestrial networks are unavailable. It can also be used for the internet of things, e.g. personal fitness tracking devices, energy management and emergency response devices.

The spectrum in this commercial portion of the band would be divided equally between EU operators entering the market, to encourage diversification of providers and incentivise EU suppliers to enter the market, and non-EU operators.

In Luxembourg, Minister López also called on Europe to "invest more in the IRIS² programme," in line with the commitment recently announced by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, to dedicate more financial resources and industrial capacity to the programme through an additional national contribution.

Review of the Cybersecurity Law

Other issues discussed at the Council included the review of the cybersecurity law and the proposal to create a European Business Wallet. In relation to the former, Minister López argued that Member States should continue to play a role in defining the supply chains of new technologies that affect national security.

With regard to the European Business Wallet, López supported the initiative to simplify the procedures that companies must complete with government agencies, but said that the standards established for this common tool should not represent a setback for countries that are more advanced in the digitalisation of their public services, such as Spain.

This was the last Council of Ministers of Telecommunications chaired by Cyprus, which will hand over the presidency on 1 July to Ireland, a country that has already indicated its intention to make the protection of minors in the digital world one of its priorities. López expressed confidence that during the Irish presidency, progress will be made towards the goal of establishing a European-level digital age of majority for access to social networks, in line with the legislative initiatives implemented in Spain and France to set a minimum access age: 16 in the case of Spain and 15 in the case of France.

Non official translation