Apply for a satellite earth station licence
Ofcom grants licences for various types of satellite earth stations. You can apply for each of these licences below.
A Permanent Earth Station (PES) is a satellite earth station operating from a permanent, specified location for the purpose of providing wireless telegraphy links with one or more geostationary satellites in certain frequency bands allocated to the fixed-satellite service. A PES is typically used to provide telephony and data backhaul, broadcast feeder links, private corporate networks and satellite telecommand and control.
A Satellite (Permanent Earth Station) licence is often referred to as a site licence or shell licence for earth stations. The licence can incorporate any number of earth stations that are located within 500 metres of a nominated centre point for the licence.
To apply for individual permanent earth station deployments for a site licence, please specify each one in a separate deployment spreadsheet (XLS, 1.5 MB). For licensing purposes, an earth station ‘deployment’ is a unique ‘path’ between an earth station and satellite. A separate spreadsheet is required to define each earth station deployment.
If you wish to modify the technical parameters of an existing earth station deployment on your licence, the parameters you specify in the spreadsheet will completely overwrite the parameters for the existing deployment. You may ask Ofcom for a copy of the spreadsheet containing the parameters of the existing deployment.
Apply for a new (or vary an existing) PES licence (PDF, 334.6 KB)
A Transportable Earth Station (TES) is a satellite earth station operating from a specified location to a satellite in the fixed satellite service. TES operations are commonly associated with the broadcasting industry, where they are used to provide outside broadcast links either back to a studio or directly to a broadcasting satellite. Installations range from small fly-away terminals to large vehicles.
Apply for TES clearances online
Licensing procedures manual for Satellite (Transportable Earth Station) applications (PDF, 157.6 KB)
Apply for a new (or vary an existing) Transportable Earth Station (TES) Licence (PDF, 167.8 KB)
Clearance request for a Transportable Earth Station (PDF, 290.7 KB)
A Satellite (Earth Station Network) licence covers any number of earth station terminals operating in a network where traffic is routed via satellite to and from a hub or gateway earth station. Applications include residential and business broadband; point of sale communications; private corporate networks; and remote monitoring for the utilities industries.
For an Earth Station Network licence operating with a geostationary satellite, please complete application form OfW103 (PDF, 1.0 MB).
For an Earth Station Network licence operating with a non-geostationary satellite, please complete application form OfW602 (PDF, 961.2 KB). More information about licensing non-geostationary earth stations operating in certain frequency bands allocated to the fixed-satellite service is available.
Satellite (Network Earth Station) licensing procedures manual (PDF, 361.9 KB)
A non-geostationary earth station is a satellite earth station operating from a permanent, specified location for the purpose of providing wireless telegraphy links with one or more non-geostationary satellites in certain frequency bands allocated to the fixed-satellite service. They are used typically to provide backhaul for direct-to-consumer broadband services, broadband services to businesses and Internet of Things.
A Satellite (Non-Geostationary Earth Station) licence is often referred to as a site licence or shell licence for earth stations. The licence can incorporate any number of earth stations that are located within 500 metres of a nominated centre point for the licence.
To apply for individual permanent earth station deployments for a site licence, please specify each one in a separate deployment spreadsheet (XLS, 1.5 MB). For licensing purposes, an earth station ‘deployment’ is a unique ‘path’ between an earth station and satellite. A separate spreadsheet is required to define each earth station deployment.
If you wish to modify the technical parameters of an existing earth station deployment on your licence, the parameters you specify in the spreadsheet will completely overwrite the parameters for the existing deployment. You may ask Ofcom for a copy of the spreadsheet containing the parameters of the existing deployment.
More information about licensing non-geostationary earth stations operating in certain frequency bands allocated to the fixed-satellite service is available.
Satellite (Non-Geostationary Earth Station) radio licence application form – OfW564 (PDF, 975.8 KB)
A Non-Fixed Satellite Earth Station is a satellite earth station operating from a permanent, specified location for the purpose of providing wireless telegraphy links with one or more satellites in certain frequency bands not allocated to the fixed-satellite service. They are used typically for satellite telemetry and telecommand, as well as for backhauling data associated with the observation of the Earth and its weather.
A Satellite (Non-Fixed Satellite Earth Station) licence is often referred to as a site licence or shell licence for earth stations. The licence can incorporate any number of earth stations that are located within 500 metres of a nominated centre point for the licence.
To apply for individual permanent earth station deployments for a site licence, please specify each one in a separate deployment spreadsheet (XLS, 1.5 MB). For licensing purposes, an earth station ‘deployment’ is a unique ‘path’ between an earth station and satellite. A separate spreadsheet is required to define each earth station deployment.
If you wish to modify the technical parameters of an existing earth station deployment on your licence, the parameters you specify in the spreadsheet will completely overwrite the parameters for the existing deployment. You may ask Ofcom for a copy of the spreadsheet containing the parameters of the existing deployment.
Generally, receive-only earth stations are exempt from licensing and as such are not taken into account when Ofcom makes frequency assignments to other services. For those operators who require protection for ROES in the bands 1690 – 1710 MHz, 3800 – 4200 MHz, 7750 – 7900 MHz and 25.5 – 26.5 GHz, it is possible to apply for a grant of Recognised Spectrum Access (RSA).
A grant of RSA for ROES can incorporate any number of receive-only earth stations that are located within 500 metres of a nominated centre point for the grant.
To apply for individual RSA for ROES deployments, please specify each one in a separate spreadsheet that you can request by emailing spectrum.licensing@ofcom.org.uk. An earth station deployment is a unique path between an earth station and a satellite. A separate spreadsheet is required to define each earth station deployment. If you wish to modify the technical parameters of an existing earth station deployment on a licence, please request a copy of the spreadsheet containing the parameters of the existing deployment.
Fees for Grant of RSA for ROES (PDF, 90.0 KB)
Procedures Manual for Grant of RSA for ROES (PDF, 121.9 KB)
GNSS repeater equipment consists of an external antenna for the reception of the GNSS signal; an amplifier (with a restricted maximum gain), connected via cabling to a second antenna inside a building. This re-radiates the GNSS signals inside a building allowing, within a limited distance of that transmit antenna, the continued operation of GNSS receivers.
Guidance on the licensing of GNSS repeaters – OfW 524 (PDF, 66.3 KB)