Statement: Updating fees for Satellite Gateways

Statement published 19 March 2026

In this statement we outline our decision to update our fee framework for NGSO Gateway licences and apply relevant elements of these changes to GSO Gateways.

There has been significant growth in demand for spectrum from the satellite sector in recent years, driven by the emergence of new ‘Non-Geostationary’ (‘NGSO’) satellites orbiting relatively close to Earth, with the ability to deliver high data rates and low latency services.

We already apply Administered Incentive Pricing (AIP) to licences for Geostationary (GSO) Gateways and we are now moving to apply AIP to NGSO Gateways, in place of the previous annual cost-based fee.

Our decision includes new lower ‘Band Factors’ for spectrum we are making available in Q/V and E bands, and updates to our existing fee formula to better reflect the opportunity cost of spectrum use.

In making these decisions, we are taking steps to secure the efficient use of spectrum. Our approach should ensure that NGSO operators receive the same kind of pricing signals about the opportunity cost of their use as GSO operators and Fixed Links sharing this scarce spectrum. In turn, this should increase the efficiency of spectrum allocation and use, which can facilitate efficient market entry and help support economic growth.