To meet the growing demand for satellite connectivity services in the United Kingdom, British communications regulator Ofcom yesterday decided to make more spectrum available for satellite gateway earth stations and added changes are in progress to improve the country’s non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) licensing process.

Satellite communication systems rely on gateway earth stations, which enable large volumes of data to be transmitted between earth and space, and then onwards to the internet or private networks.

“In a further boost to satellite connectivity in the UK, we have today decided to make up to 10 GHz of spectrum in the Q/V band available for satellite gateways across most of the UK landmass, predominantly in rural ‘low density’ areas,” Ofcom said in a media statement.

This provides extra capacity to support growth in satellite services across the UK and will enable more people and businesses to benefit from improved satellite connectivity, such as faster satellite broadband, including in the more remote hard to reach parts of the UK.

Having considered responses to its July 2025 consultation, Ofcom yesterday also proposed to open up access to some of these Q/V band frequencies for geosynchronous orbit (GSO) and NGSO satellite gateways in urban ‘high density’ areas, which cover the six percent of UK landmass not included in ‘low density’ area decision.

Geosynchronous orbit (sometimes called geostationary orbit) satellites hover at around 35,786 km, matching earth’s rotation to appear fixed or move in a figure-8 pattern, providing consistent, wide-area coverage for communications and broadcasting.

“Following consultation, we are also today announcing changes to improve our NGSO or Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit licensing process. Our amended approach includes measures to speed up decision-making timeframes and reduce the administrative burden on NGSO satellite operators. We will no longer routinely consult on applications for NGSO gateway licences,” Ofcom said.