18 May 2026

Satellite connectivity is no longer a niche complement to terrestrial networks. It is becoming part of the core architecture of Europe's digital infrastructure, and the regulatory frameworks being negotiated in 2026 will determine whether Europe shapes that transition or follows it. Our Forum brought together MEPs, Commission officials and industry representatives to examine the key policy decisions ahead, from the Digital Networks Act and the EU Space Act to the renewal of mobile satellite service licences, and to discuss how authorisation regimes, spectrum governance and security obligations need to evolve for an era of integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.

Integrating satellites into Europe’s digital networks

Opening Remarks 

Pilar del Castillo MEP opened by underlining that satellite technology is undergoing a qualitative shift, not merely an incremental one. New satellite systems are beginning to deliver services directly to mobile devices using mobile spectrum, a development known as direct-to-device connectivity, and this is unfolding in close connection with the broader transformation of mobile networks rather than in isolation. Looking ahead to 6G, she noted that non-terrestrial networks are expected to become part of its core architecture. The critical regulatory implication, she argued, is that satellite infrastructure operates across borders by its very nature, which exposes the limits of fragmented national frameworks and makes the Digital Networks Act's proposed move to EU-level authorisation for satellite spectrum a significant and necessary step.

Matthias Ecke MEP framed the discussion around three structural challenges. The exponential growth in the number of satellites is creating physical orbit congestion and rising collision risk, while also generating interference challenges that existing frameworks were not designed to handle. Geopolitical tensions complicate what might otherwise be a globally cooperative domain, with Europe remaining heavily dependent on non-European constellations at a moment when that dependency carries real strategic risk. And the rise of low earth orbit systems, led by Starlink which operates over 60% of the world's active satellites, poses a competitive challenge for European providers trying to enter the same segment. He identified European-level authorisation, spectrum governance and the integration of satellite into the Digital Networks Act as the central questions for the debate.

The Commission's point of view

Gerasimos Sofianatos, Head of the Radio Spectrum Policy Unit at DG CONNECT, argued that connectivity has become a critical public infrastructure on a par with energy and water, yet significant coverage gaps remain where terrestrial networks are neither economically nor technically viable: mountainous regions, maritime zones, remote work sites. Satellite connectivity, and direct-to-device in particular, is where those gaps can be closed. He was candid that Europe, once a front runner in satellite connectivity, is now lagging behind in the era of mega-constellations, and that the race to define standards, spectrum frameworks and regulatory architectures is already well underway with global players moving fast. The Digital Networks Act, in his assessment, represents a historic opportunity to build a coherent European framework for converged connectivity, but only if three conditions are met. First, a harmonised EU-level authorisation regime that eliminates the current requirement for operators to seek spectrum and authorisation separately in 27 member states, a fragmentation that his team has calculated costs operators millions, if not billions, in delay alone. Second, a legal framework that actively supports the hybridisation of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, building on the mandate already given to CEPT to study the use of terrestrial spectrum bands from satellite. Third, security and resilience requirements embedded in authorisation frameworks from the outset. His closing message was directed at co-legislators: the responsibility to maintain high ambition while ensuring rules remain proportionate and future-oriented is, in his view, a historic one.

Industry perspectives

Jaume Sanpera, CEO of Sateliot, opened by arguing that the event's title captures something important: the question is integration, not complementarity. The decisive shift came when 3GPP formally integrated non-terrestrial networks into its 5G specifications, with Release 17 in 2022, Release 18 in 2024, and Release 19 underway. Satellites are no longer adjacent to telecoms; they are telecoms. Sateliot, he described as the first European operator deploying a low earth orbit constellation under the 5G end-to-end standard, headquartered in Barcelona, built with European technology partners, and operating commercially through roaming agreements with mobile operators across more than 50 countries covering over 10 million devices. Starting with IoT, where standards-based satellite connectivity already delivers clear market value today, the company's roadmap extends to positioning and timing resilience for sovereign applications, and direct-to-device connectivity under European control. His argument for open, interoperable, standards-driven architecture rested on a sovereignty point: proprietary systems transfer control of the protocol layer to whoever owns the patents, whereas standards-based systems keep that control within multilateral fora where European companies can compete on technology. On policy, his asks were four. On the DNA, a single satellite spectrum passport valid across the Union, directly comparable to what the abolition of roaming surcharges delivered for the mobile market. On the EU Space Act, no layering of space-specific rules on top of the electronic communications framework in ways that create double regulation for operators already fully subject to it. On IRIS², success should be measured not by how many satellites Europe owns but by how much demand it generates, requiring open interfaces and standards-based IoT and direct-to-device variants so any operator or industrial customer can integrate without bespoke equipment. On the MSS licence renewal, rights should go to operators committed to open standards, genuine pan-European coverage and terrestrial integration. His closing line distilled the ask: not subsidies, but rules that let European champions compete on merit in Europe and beyond.

Sophie Morice, Director of Regulatory Strategy at Orange Group, welcomed direct-to-device as a genuine technical breakthrough and was clear that Orange's stance is integration rather than resistance: the group has already launched a commercial D2D messaging service for emergency situations in France and is actively testing the NTN standard with partners in Romania. The opportunity is real, she stressed, but so are the risks if the competitive playing field is not properly calibrated. Her central concern was that satellite operators providing the same retail connectivity services as terrestrial operators must be subject to the same obligations, including lawful interception, emergency service support and consumer protection requirements. The principle she set out was simple: same service, same rules. On the DNA specifically, she welcomed the inclusion of satellite within the EU communications framework but called for the general authorisation regime for satellites to align with terrestrial obligations as soon as equivalent services are provided, and for explicit protection of IMT bands to remain in the spectrum chapter. On the MSS licence renewal, she identified three conditions as essential: a mandatory wholesale obligation with clear reference offers and enforcement timelines, a spectrum cap that covers acquisitions and subsidiaries and not only direct rights, and sovereignty treated as a binding eligibility criterion rather than a scoring factor.

Theodora Liameti, Regulatory Market Access Analyst at Eutelsat and co-lead of the European Regional Group at GSOA, situated her remarks in a broader observation: satellite is not a new entrant seeking accommodation in Europe's digital ecosystem but an established infrastructure that has long underpinned connectivity, disaster recovery and mobility services. What is new is the degree of integration now emerging between satellite and terrestrial networks. On the EU Space Act, she welcomed its ambition but cautioned that leadership in regulation must be grounded in the operational realities of the sector: long investment cycles, global coordination requirements, and the need for rules that are simple, transparent and internationally aligned, particularly with the ITU frameworks that have governed spectrum and orbital resources for decades. She warned that if overlapping obligations across national jurisdictions persist, if secondary legislation proliferates, and if uncertainty continues, the good intentions behind both the Space Act and the DNA risk producing the opposite of what they intend. Her three closing messages distilled the industry's position: regulations should be fit for purpose and reflect the distinct characteristics of different technologies rather than applying identical obligations across the board; simplification must translate into practical reductions in administrative burden and regulatory duplication; and harmonisation should improve predictability, not add complexity.

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