Summary

  • Ofcom’s 23 October decision lets GSO and NGSO satellite gateways apply for specified Q/V frequencies in 68 high-density areas covering the UK’s remaining 6% of landmass. The listed GSO blocks add up to 8 GHz; the NGSO blocks add up to 7 GHz.
  • The 40.5–42.5 GHz downlink is outside the general authorisation. A gateway can pursue a location-specific Local Access licence, with terms tied to mobile operators’ deployment plans or a negotiated agreement.

Eight gigahertz, with two different menus

The UK’s satellite-gateway map now has an urban chapter. Ofcom’s October decision extends gateway access into 68 high-density areas—major towns, cities and transport hubs that account for the remaining 6% of UK landmass. In March, the regulator had made up to 10 GHz available in low-density areas covering 94%. Applications for the new urban access opened on 23 October through Ofcom’s standard gateway licences. (Ofcom’s decision; full statement)

“Up to 8 GHz” is a ceiling, not one identical bundle for every orbit. A geostationary (GSO) gateway may use uplinks at 47.2–50.2 and 50.4–52.4 GHz, plus a 37.5–40.5 GHz downlink: 8 GHz in total. A non-geostationary (NGSO) gateway gets 47.2–50.2 and 50.4–51.4 GHz uplinks and the same downlink, totalling 7 GHz. Use of 39.5–40.5 GHz and 50.4–51.4 GHz requires Ofcom-managed coordination with the Ministry of Defence.

The incumbent still has a say

The new frequencies sit beside existing fixed links, mobile licences, passive satellite services and defence uses. Ofcom will assess applications first come, first served, with technical coordination. The licence conditions set maximum transmit power densities, require specified antenna performance and impose minimum elevation angles of 15 degrees for GSO gateways and 20 degrees for NGSO gateways. NGSO gateways also carry a non-interference condition for fixed and mobile services; gateways receiving at 37.5–40.5 GHz accept non-protected status against the high-density 40 GHz mobile licensees. The licence templates spell out those terms. (Ofcom licence-template annex)

The sharper boundary sits at 40.5–42.5 GHz. That satellite-to-Earth downlink is not included in the standard high-density gateway authorisation. Ofcom points to the difficulty of sharing it with mobile services and to uncertainty about where 40 GHz mobile networks will be built. Some fixed-link licences in the band remain until 1 June 2028. The regulator judged a nationwide gateway permission too blunt for that operating picture.

A site-specific route remains. Local Access can cost a one-off £950. Where mobile operators have no plans to use the spectrum, an applicant can seek a short-term licence of up to three years. For longer access, it can negotiate terms with the mobile licensee and then apply to Ofcom for a supporting licence. The £950 fee buys the application route; it does not buy a guaranteed site, term or approval. (Ofcom’s 40.5–42.5 GHz guidance)

The valuable address is the site

Ofcom sees potential value in placing a gateway closer to internet exchanges and data centres, where proximity could improve service quality in some cases. The decision opens a licensing queue; it does not report a single new urban gateway, a measured latency gain or a completed mobile agreement. Those records will show whether the last 6% becomes a usable operating footprint or stays a colourful patch on a spectrum map.

The policy’s hinge is now local. First-come coordination decides who gets to apply first in the standard bands; mobile plans and site agreements decide whether a gateway can use the disputed downlink. “Available” has become a chain of dated applications, coexistence conditions and location-specific permissions. The next useful evidence is straightforward: which sites applied, which licences Ofcom issued, and where the 40.5–42.5 GHz route produced an agreement.