Four European Carriers Explore Joint Mobile Satellite Spectrum Bid

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone signed a letter of intent on Monday to explore a joint bid for European mobile satellite spectrum. The collaboration targets the 2 GHz band, where existing licenses held by Viasat and EchoStar are set to expire in 2027.

The initiative seeks to strengthen European sovereignty and resilience in critical connectivity infrastructure by providing open, non-discriminatory access to direct-to-device services. While the four carriers intend to establish terrestrial network infrastructure and monitoring systems, they plan to partner with an external satellite constellation provider, which has not yet been selected.

This move aligns with European Union goals to develop a homegrown satellite operator and serves as a strategic effort to counter competition from Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s Starlink. The companies noted that this joint exploration does not replace their existing individual satellite partnerships.