Europe restricts Starlink and Amazon Leo access to strategic 2 GHz satellite spectrum

Europe is moving to assert itself in the satellite market and is preparing to limit Starlink and Amazon’s access to strategically important frequencies. The move could prove unpopular in Washington.

The European Commission is poised to unveil a decision that will reshape the satellite market across the Old Continent. At stake is the reassignment of radio spectrum in the 2 GHz band, the only frequency harmonised across Europe for mobile satellite communications.

In practical terms, this band enables mobile devices and vehicles to stay connected even in the most remote locations, where terrestrial networks do not reach. Two US companies, Viasat and EchoStar, currently hold licences to use these frequencies. However, those licences expire in May 2027, creating an opportunity for a new allocation.

According to two sources close to the matter cited by Reuters, the proposed arrangement would represent a significant break from the current system: two thirds of the spectrum will be set aside for European operators. The remaining third will be open to competition, including Starlink, owned by SpaceX, and Amazon Leo. British and Norwegian companies will also be eligible to apply. This is far from an insignificant decision.

Europe wants to stand on its own feet

Its political objective is unmistakable: to reduce Europe’s reliance on US infrastructure. Russia’s war in Ukraine starkly demonstrated the strategic importance of satellite communications, and above all the vulnerability of relying on a foreign operator for such vital services.

The European Union (EU) has therefore stepped up development of IRIS², its own constellation of 290 satellites, intended to provide a sovereign alternative to Starlink. The project will be among the first to benefit from the spectrum reserved for European operators. Next week, the Commission is also expected to present its Tech Sovereignty Package, a set of measures designed to free Europe from its reliance on foreign technology, especially that of the United States.

Washington is watching closely

This push is being closely monitored across the Atlantic. At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last March, Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the US telecommunications regulator, warned that the United States retained the right to apply reciprocal treatment to the EU.

Brussels, however, appears to have anticipated that risk. Last week, the EU and the United States reached a trade agreement, which should reduce the likelihood of an escalation. The decision not to shut out Starlink and Leo entirely also points in that direction.

Our analysis

Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, Europe’s attitude towards its digital dependencies has changed permanently. Tensions surrounding Greenland in early 2025 acted as a wake-up call: what if the United States were to cut access to the tools on which a substantial part of our critical infrastructure depends?

The satellite spectrum decision forms part of this shared realisation. So does the recent announcement that the French administration will gradually move away from Windows in favour of Linux. Europe no longer wants to rely on tools whose rules, prices and risks it does not control. After years of hesitation, this shift in approach finally appears to be gathering pace.