Chile FSS W Band: SUBTEL Expands Satellite Spectrum

Chile FSS W Band: SUBTEL Expands the Fixed Satellite Service Spectrum Standard

Chile's telecommunications regulator has opened new millimetre wave spectrum for satellite operators. On 2 July 2026, the Subsecretaria de Telecomunicaciones (SUBTEL) announced a modification to the technical standard governing the Fixed Satellite Service (FSS), incorporating the W band and signalling that the V band would follow. For earth station and user terminal manufacturers, ESIM vendors, and satellite operators serving the Chilean market, this is an enabling change that widens the range of frequencies in which FSS equipment may lawfully operate not a forced migration or a certification cut off.

Regulatory Context: What Changed and Why

SUBTEL's FSS technical standard is set out in Resolucion Exenta N° 6.966 of 2009, the norma tecnica that regulates frequency use for the Fixed Satellite Service in Chile. The July 2026 action modifies that standard through a resolucion exenta published in the Diario Oficial, adding the W band to the frequencies recognised for FSS operation. SUBTEL confirmed in its announcement that the V band would be incorporated shortly afterward.

This is the second material expansion of the FSS standard in less than two years. It was preceded by Resolucion Exenta N° 2.121 of 2024 (published in the Diario Oficial on 30 November 2024), which recognised FSS operation in the E band (71–76 GHz and 81–86 GHz) on a shared basis with the fixed service, authorised Earth Stations in Motion (ESIM), and restricted certain millimetre-wave gateway installations to the Coquimbo Region and southward to protect the ALMA radio telescope from interference. That lineage matters: it means the July 2026 change is a continuation of a deliberate SUBTEL programme to open higher frequency spectrum for next generation, high capacity satellite systems, rather than an isolated event.

In its stated rationale, SUBTEL framed the change around technological neutrality and the opening of new spectrum segments that facilitate the deployment of next generation, high capacity satellite systems, subject to the condition that services be installed, operated, and exploited without causing harmful interference to others. The regulator's practical objective is to increase transmission capacity, improve spectral efficiency, and strengthen satellite connectivity particularly in remote and rural areas with limited terrestrial infrastructure such as fibre or 5G while widening competition in a market that already includes Starlink and HughesNet.

Technical Scope: From Ku/Ka Toward Millimetre-Wave

Historically, Chile's FSS standard principally contemplated the Ku band and Ka band for satellite operation. It is more accurate to say Ku and Ka were the dominant bands rather than the only ones, because the 2024 amendment had already introduced E-band operation. The July 2026 change extends the framework further up the spectrum:

• W band: incorporated by the published resolucion exenta. Press reporting cited a range on the order of 71–114.5 GHz, but that figure is journalistic and overlaps the E-band ranges already added in 2024; the precise allocated sub-bands and any coexistence conditions must be read from the resolution text itself.

• V band: announced as a forthcoming addition. Press reporting cited a range on the order of 40–75 GHz. As of the 2 July announcement it had not yet been published, and its in force status should be confirmed against the Diario Oficial.

  
  

For orientation, the standard IEEE designations place the V band at roughly 40–75 GHz and the W band at roughly 75–110 GHz. The reported figures do not map cleanly onto those boundaries, which reinforces the need to work from the official allocation rather than secondary summaries when planning equipment or filings.

Two carry over conditions from the 2024 amendment are likely to remain relevant in these millimetre wave ranges: the requirement to operate without causing harmful interference to other services, and the geographic protection regime for the ALMA observatory that constrains where certain high band gateways may be installed.

What the Chile FSS W Band Update Means for Manufacturers

For equipment vendors and operators, the practical implications are additive rather than disruptive:

1. New spectrum, not a mandated transition. Existing Ku and Ka band equipment and services are unaffected. The change opens additional frequencies; it does not obsolete current deployments or impose a switch over.

2. Equipment conformity follows the updated standard. Earth stations, user terminals, gateways, and ESIM intended to operate in the newly recognised bands must conform to the modified FSS norma tecnica and satisfy the applicable Chilean equipment-approval requirements for those frequencies.

3. Higher capacity product opportunity. The W (and forthcoming V) bands enable wider channel bandwidths and higher throughput, creating a route to introduce next generation high capacity terminals into the Chilean market.

4. Interference and coexistence obligations apply. Operation is conditioned on not causing harmful interference to other services; product design and deployment planning should account for shared use conditions in these bands.

5. Geographic siting constraints for high band gateways. The ALMA protection regime introduced in 2024 restricts certain millimetre wave gateway installations by region; siting plans for high band infrastructure should be checked against those limits.

6. Confirm the exact allocation before filing. Because the reported frequency ranges are approximate and partly overlap prior allocations, the precise sub bands, power limits, and conditions should be taken from the resolution text before certification or type approval submissions.

   
   

Certification Impact Summary

Area	Impact of the Chile FSS W band change
Nature of the change	Enabling / additive recognises new FSS bands; no forced migration
Affected equipment	FSS earth stations, user terminals, gateways, ESIM intended for W (and pending V) band operation
Unaffected equipment	Existing Ku- and Ka-band FSS equipment and services
Conformity basis	Modified FSS norma tecnica (Res. Ex. 6.966/2009, as amended) plus applicable Chilean equipment approval
Hard deadline	None identified this is a spectrum opening measure, not a certificate cancellation regime
Key conditions	No harmful interference; coexistence/shared use terms; ALMA geographic restrictions for high band gateways
Primary open item	Exact W/V sub bands, power limits, and conditions to be confirmed from the resolution text

Timeline and Required Actions

Date	Milestone	Status	Required / Recommended Action
2009	Res. Ex. N° 6.966 establishes the FSS technical standard (Ku/Ka principally)	In force	Baseline reference for all FSS equipment conformity
30 Nov 2024	Res. Ex. N° 2.121 adds E band (71–76 / 81–86 GHz), ESIM, ALMA gateway restrictions	In force	Confirm E-band and ESIM conditions if operating in those ranges
Early July 2026	Resolucion exenta adds the W band to the FSS standard	Published in Diario Oficial in force on publication	Confirm exact W-band sub-bands, power limits, and conditions; align product and filing plans
"In the coming days" after 2 Jul 2026	V band incorporation announced	Pending as of 2 Jul 2026	Monitor the Diario Oficial for the V-band resolution before relying on it
Ongoing	Equipment approval for W/V-band FSS devices	As applicable	Ensure earth stations / terminals / ESIM conform to the updated standard before market entry